The necklace lay untouched in the velvet box.
Jaimie stared at it for hours.
She had placed it on her bedside table after Dominic gave it to her—but she hadn't been able to wear it. Not yet.
Not when so much of her heart still throbbed with unsaid things.
But tonight was different.
The rain had cleared, the moon was out, and Sam was fast asleep with his tiny arms wrapped around his dinosaur plush. The silence in the condo was gentle, not lonely.
Her fingers hovered above the music note pendant.
She picked it up. Held it to her chest.
Moon River.
The melody fluttered in her memory like a soft breeze.
She finally allowed herself to think it:
Maybe it's time to forgive.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61IwE0o15V
Maybe it's time to try again.
She smiled faintly.
Then picked up her phone.
Her fingers moved slowly, hesitating before sending the message.
Can we talk? I... think I'm ready.
But she didn't hit send yet.
Something told her not to—not until she saw him.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwUEhjMWXp
Felt it face-to-face.
The next afternoon, Jaimie drove to Makati Med with a quiet flutter in her chest. She didn't bring Sam. She didn't tell anyone.
This wasn't about being a mother.
This was about her.
She walked past the familiar hallways, tracing old footsteps from years ago.
Her heart pounded when she turned the corner toward the staff garden, where nurses often took breaks.
That's when she saw him.
Tedd.
Sitting on a bench.
Smiling.
And not alone.
Aimee, the new nurse in the pedia ward, was beside him.
Too close.
Too familiar.
Her hand brushed his shoulder as she laughed at something he said.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHg1jwNE2P4
She leaned in when she spoke.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeqA8XAzgD
And Tedd... didn't pull away.
He smiled again—soft. Casual. Kind.
Like he didn't know he was being watched.
Like Jaimie hadn't just dared to feel again for the first time in years.
Something inside her stilled.
She turned around before they could see her.
Back in her car, she sat still, trembling with disbelief—and a sick twist of déjà vu.
This is what I get for hoping again, she thought bitterly.
This is what I get for believing that people change.
She looked down at the message she never sent.
Then deleted it.
Dominic's necklace was still around her neck.
But now it felt like a chain.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVIWXycskc
