CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – LIORA GOING BACK TO ARDEN CITY.
Morning sunlight spilled through the kitchen window, washing the room in a soft glow. I leaned against the counter, sipping tea as I watched Lila and Isla chase each other across the small backyard. Their giggles floated inside, bright and warm, the kind of sound that made my chest ache in the best way.
"Did you even sleep last night?" Liora's voice floated from the doorway.
I smiled faintly. "I did. Eventually. You?"
She shrugged, padding in with her messy bun and her usual oversized sweater. "Kind of. I stayed up filling out some forms."
I set my mug down, curious. "Forms?"
She hesitated, biting her lip always her tell when she was hiding something then handed me a folded paper.
"An agency reached out," she said softly. "They want me to audition."
I blinked. "Agency? As in… music agency?"
"Yeah. A small one, but they book professional pianists for events, concerts, teaching gigs. They saw a video someone posted of me playing at the community center last month."
"That's amazing!" My grin spread without permission. "Liora, this is exactly what you've always wanted."
Her gaze softened, but there was a shadow there too, one she rarely let slip.
"I don't know if I want it anymore," she admitted. "I left that world for a reason."
I reached for her hand. "You've never told me why. And I won't push, but I know you. Music has always been your heart. You wouldn't have kept that piano in the living room if you didn't still love it."
Liora's lips twitched into a small smile. "You always see through me."
"Perks of living together for three years," I teased gently.
Her laugh was quiet but real.
Later that afternoon, I sat at my little worktable, pouring melted wax into glass jars. The faint, soothing scent of lavender filled the air. My candle business had grown slowly but steadily over the last few years. Sometimes locals would stop me on the street just to tell me how much they loved my oils or how the candles made their homes feel peaceful.
It still felt surreal.
After losing everything ,my name, my status, the life I thought I'd have, creating something that people loved felt like taking a piece of my soul and turning it into light.
Isla padded into the room, her curls bouncing as she peeked over the table. "Mama, this one smells like bedtime."
I smiled, wiping my hands. "That's because it's lavender, baby. It helps people sleep."
She nodded seriously, like this was very important information, before running back to Lila, who was building towers out of blocks.
That evening, when the girls were asleep, Liora and I curled up on the couch with mugs of cocoa.
"So, you're really considering it?" I asked softly.
She stared at the steam curling from her cup. "I think I am. But it means going back. The agency is in Arden City."
My chest tightened. Arden City. The place I swore I'd never return to.
"You don't have to go if you're not ready," I said quickly.
"I am ready," she said. Her voice was steady, but I could tell she was bracing herself for something. "I think I've been hiding long enough. And if I'm being honest… maybe going back will help me finally stop running from what happened."
Her words hung between us.
I wanted to ask to finally know what had driven her away from the world she loved but I swallowed the question back.
She would tell me when she was ready.
"Then you should go," I said softly. "You deserve to play again. To feel like yourself again."
Her shoulders sagged, as if a weight had been lifted. "Would you… come with me?"
My throat went tight. "I can't just pack up the girls and go back there. Not yet."
She nodded, understanding. "I didn't think so. But I had to ask."
I reached for her hand again, squeezing gently. "You won't be alone."
Her eyes glistened, but she smiled.
That night, after she went to bed, I stood by the girls' room, watching them sleep.
Lila's little hand was curled under her cheek, Isla sprawled with her hair in a messy halo.
I knelt beside their bed, brushing my fingers over their soft curls.
"I named you Lila and Isla because I wanted something beautiful," I whispered. "Something that reminded me that there's still good in the world. You were my light when everything was dark."
I most say they saved me.
A tear slid down my cheek, but I smiled through it.
Maybe it was time to stop being afraid.
Maybe it was time to stop hiding.