Chapter 100 CHAPTER 100
The Ice Cream and the Olive Branch
The night was still silver over the city when Julian’s car rolled down the quiet streets. The headlights washed over the wet asphalt, turning the world into a blur of white and gold reflections. Inside the car, there was silence, not the heavy kind, but the quiet that lingered between two people who didn’t know what to say.
Chloe sat in the passenger seat, licking a small cup of matcha ice cream, her gaze fixed on the glowing skyline. Her blonde hair was tucked neatly behind her ears, her movements unhurried. The soft hum of the radio filled the space between them, low enough to sound like background noise in an unfinished thought.
Julian drove slowly, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift. His eyes stayed on the road, but his mind wasn’t entirely there. He could feel Chloe’s glances, small, searching, maybe guilty.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“You probably think I’m the bad person,” she said quietly, her voice flat but trembling at the edges. “Right?”
Julian glanced at her, then back at the road. A small smile touched his lips.
“I don’t think about you that much,” he said.
She blinked, her mouth parting in surprise. “Wow. Brutal.”
He laughed softly. “No, I mean — it’s not my business who’s bad or good. I just want Ares to have some peace. That’s all.”
She leaned back, folding her arms, the spoon still between her fingers. “Honestly, I am not the bad guy.”
Julian’s smile deepened. “So who’s the bad guy? Tessa?”
“Maybe,” she said, her eyes drifting toward the passing lights. “I’m just tired of pretending being the villain when all I ever wanted was to be loved by Ares.”
For a moment, Julian didn’t know how to respond. He slowed the car as they approached a red light. The glow washed over their faces, his calm, hers uncertain.
After a long pause, she asked softly, “Tell me, Julian… who do you think is best for him? Me or Tessa?”
Julian didn’t look at her. He just gave a small shrug, his eyes on the traffic ahead.
“I don’t think it’s about who’s best,” he said. “It’s about who makes him happy. It’s about who he wants.”
The light turned green. He pressed the accelerator gently. The car rolled forward, smooth and quiet.
Neither of them said another word for the rest of the drive.
The next morning, the sun had barely stretched across the skyline when Tessa stepped into a small neighborhood supermarket near the harbor. The glass doors slid open with a hiss, letting in the scent of coffee, fresh fruit, and detergent.
She wore a simple cream blouse, her hair tied loosely behind her head. There was something peaceful about her today or maybe it was just the stillness she carried, the kind born from too much reflection.
She pushed the cart slowly through the aisles, her eyes scanning the shelves…cereal, milk, fruit snacks for the kids. Her hands were steady, but her mind drifted.
She was thinking of the night before. Ares in the garden, the way he’d held her when she cried, the quiet promise in his voice. Something had shifted in her, a small flame where there used to be only ashes.
She turned the corner into the canned goods section. And froze.
Ayisha stood there.
It took her a full heartbeat to believe what she was seeing. Ayisha in a white blouse, jeans, her long hair tucked under a baseball cap. She was holding a basket, staring at a can of soup as if deciding its fate.
For a moment, both women just stood there.
Then Tessa’s breath hitched. The cart slipped from her hands. She walked forward slowly, her eyes stinging. “Ayisha?”
Ayisha turned.
“Tessa,” she said. “I followed you.”
Tessa fell to her knees without thinking, tears already pooling in her eyes. “I’m sorry… for everything. For leaving you. For the money. For—”
Ayisha bent quickly and caught her by the shoulders. “Hey. No. Get up,” she said firmly, pulling her up to her feet. “Don’t do that. Not here. I read your messages and saw the money, I have already forgiven you.”
But Tessa was already crying, trembling against her friend’s shoulder. Ayisha’s face softened, she hadn’t expected this, the raw emotion, the sincerity. She wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight.
They stood like that for a moment, in the middle of a supermarket aisle, finding their way back.
When they finally pulled apart, Ayisha wiped Tessa’s cheeks gently. “You always cry too much,” she said, trying to smile. “When will you grow up?”
Tessa laughed through the tears. “Stop…I’m grown.”
Ayisha chuckled, then looked around cautiously. “Come,” she said, pulling her gently by the wrist. “We can’t talk here.”
She led Tessa to the far corner of the store near the cleaning supplies, where few people passed.
Ayisha leaned against the shelf, lowering her voice. “Listen to me, Tessa. Ethan can’t know I saw you.”
Tessa frowned. “Ethan? Who is Ethan?”
Ayisha hesitated, glancing around again. “He’s Ares’s enemy. Dangerous. He’s the one I work with now. If he finds out I made peace with you or freed the kids, he’ll kill me.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. “Kill you? Ayisha—”
Ayisha lifted a hand. “Shh. I’ll explain everything later, okay? For now, just stay away from me. Don’t ask questions. Promise me.”
Tessa nodded slowly, still shaken. “I promise.”
Ayisha’s face softened again. “You look different,” she said, studying her. “Softer. Calmer.”
“I’m trying,” Tessa murmured. “Ares wants to start over. He wants to give us a chance.”
Ayisha’s eyes glinted with a mix of surprise and amusement. “Really?”
Tessa nodded. “But there’s a problem…”
Ayisha arched a brow. “There’s always a problem.”
“Chloe,” Tessa said. “She’s pregnant for Ares. And she’s living with us.”
Ayisha blinked, then let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “You’re kidding.”
Tessa shook her head, lips trembling between frustration and disbelief.
Ayisha’s laughter faded into a sly smile. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“What do you mean?”
Ayisha leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Fake your own pregnancy.”
Tessa’s mouth fell open. “Ayisha!”
“What?” Ayisha said, grinning. “You said he wants to try again, right? Men are fools for timing. If she’s pregnant, you should be too. It’ll even the field. Then… once you’ve got him close enough, you make it real.”
Tessa gasped, half laughing, half horrified. “You’re insane.”
Ayisha smirked. “I’ve always been your smarter half.”
They both burst into laughter then quiet, breathless laughter that turned heads from nearby aisles. It was the kind of laughter that carried years of pain, mischief, and friendship tangled together.
When they finally caught their breath, Tessa touched Ayisha’s hand. “I missed you,” she whispered.
Ayisha squeezed her fingers. “I missed you more.”
The store intercom crackled softly above them, announcing closing hours. They both looked up, then back at each other.
“I’ll message you,” Ayisha said, slipping her hand away. “Don’t reply. I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”
Tessa nodded, her chest tight with mixed emotions. “Please be careful.”
Ayisha smiled faintly. “Always am.”
She turned and walked away, vanishing between the aisles.
Tessa stood there for a long time after, her hand pressed to her chest, a small, disbelieving smile on her face.
Maybe it was forgiveness. Maybe it was just the relief of finding a friend in the wreckage of her past.
Either way, it was a start.
And as she walked out of the supermarket, the early morning light falling across her face, she whispered softly to herself.
“One day at a time.”