Chapter 23
After settling back into Altira City, Samira found herself a place to live. Yosef offered to help, but she politely declined and as usual, he didn’t make a fuss about i
The day after she moved in, she got a call from Miranda asking to meet up./
Miranda had always been one of the few people who genuinely cared about her, so Samira didn’t hesitate to say yes.
When she arrived at the cafe, Miranda was already there. She stood up the second she saw Samira and walked straight over, pulling her into a tight hug. Tears were already rolling down her cheeks.
“Samira… thank God,” she whispered. “If anything had happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”
Samira’s throat tightened Miranda had been the only real warmth in her life for a long time. She hugged her back gently. “It’s not your fault, Miranda You don’t need to carry that ”
Miranda pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and gave her a shaky smile. “Okay, enough crying. Come sit, just seeing you alive is the best thing ever“78
They sat down and Miranda handed her the menu. “Seriously, onder anything. You look like you’ve lost weight”
Samira almost laughed. She had actually gained a bit, but didn’t bother correcting her. She flipped open the menu and started browsing.
Over lunch, they caught up a little. But then Miranda brought up Jean.X
“You know,” she said, stirring her drink, “I didn’t believe it at first. When people said he hit you, I thought they were lying. Not Jean. He was always so.”
She trailed off, then sighed, “I didn’t want to believe it for weeks. But yesterday, he told me you were back. Said he heard your voice. That’s when I finally accepted it“.
Samira stayed quiet, just listening X
Miranda leaned in, lowering her voice. “After you disappeared, he was a mess. When they found that murderer and brought back your ashes, he wouldn’t even let me touch them. Took them home himself,
“Tended up sneaking them away to give you a proper burial,” she added. “After that, he stayed at your grave all night. Cried so much, his face was all puffy and red.”
Samira’s lips curled into a faint, amused smile.X
“He fainted there, you know? Passed out cold. Was unconscious for days. When he came to, he started looking for you everywhere. Like he somehow knew you were
ere still out there. Miranda looked at her, puzzled. “How did he know, Samira? That’s been bugging me for so long.”
Samira just shrugged lightly. “I don’t know.” She had a feeling he sensed something, but she wasn’t about to get into that Some truths were too strange, too tangled to explain.
After dinner, Miranda started talking about Jean’s recent mess of a life. Samira listened quietly, unsure how to feel about it all. A part of her wondered if Miranda was trying to get her to patch things up with him.
But then Miranda looked at her seriously and said. “Samira, I’m not telling you been through so much.X
you this to get
you two back together. Honestly. I just.. you’ve
“I thought maybe knowing how he’s been might bring you a little peace. That’s all. I really care about you and I don’t want this to mess up our friendship.
Samira felt a lump rise in her throat. She blinked away the sting in her eyes, and nodded, her voice a little shaky. “I know, Mrs. Zaccaro Really. Thank you.
When she stepped out of the restaurant, the sunlight felt unusually warm and soft against her skin, like it had been waiting just for her. She turned her head and spotted Yosef leaning casually against his car nearby, arms crossed, eyes on her like always.
He said he would come pick her up, but she didn’t expect him to actually show up so early. She walked over and as soon as he saw her, he pushed off the car and opened the door without a word.
The whole moment felt kind of surreal. She was back in Altira City, finally doing something she had always wanted to do. She had just mended the last fragile thread of family left in her life. And there was Yosef, showing up like clockwork.
She climbed into the car and glanced out the window. The trees flew past in a blur and she caught Yosef’s reflection on the glass: focused, calm.”
Something inside her softened. For the first time in a long while, she felt at ease. Maybe this is what starting over really feels like,‘ she thought.!!
Not long after, she began her flower arrangement classes. She had always loved flowers, but this was the first time she was learning properly. It wasn’t as easy as she had imagined, her fingers ended up full of tiny cuts from stubborn thoms.
day, so she didn’t
One afternoon, just after class ended, she was walking out alone. Yosef had told her he was busy and couldn’t come today,
expect anyone.X
And then, there Jean was. She froze. He didn’t look any different and yet something about him did. He looked like he had been through it.
“Samira.” he started, but then his eyes dropped to her hand. The scratches were still fresh.8
“What happened to your hand? His whole expression changed. Whatever he meant to say was forgotten. He stepped closer, gently grabbing her hand and looking at it like it physically hurt him to see
The scratch on her hand was still fresh, thanks to a thorn that got her during class. It wasn’t serious, but it looked nasty enough to catch
Wttention!
attention.
She instinctively pulled it away. “It’s nothing. Doesn’t concem you.“%
His expression cracked, a flash of hurt showing through as he let out a dry laugh. “Tm just worried about you, that’s all”
She didn’t answer. Her gaze drifted somewhere else, anywhere but at him.
Trying to fill the silence, Jean looked around and then he saw it: the flower art class poster taped to the ad stand nearby. He realized something
“This happened in class? From the flowers?” He looked at her again, a little more animated now. “Samira, if the instructors here aren’t great, I can help you find someone better. I know people. You shouldn’t be getting hurt doing something you love.”
She blinked, slightly taken aback.
He remembered. After all this time, he actually remembered her love for flower arranging. The quiet dream she never really shared with anyone except him, long ago. She had assumed he had forgotten, just like everything else
But then, Miranda’s voice echoed in her mind. The one who really stood by her when everything crumbled. And Jean didn’t just look away, he helped push her down.
Now, when she had finally clawed her way back, he wanted to show up and fix things. Funny how life worked.
