CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – RINA IS READY TO GO BACK
The house was quiet again.
The streamers were gone, the balloons deflated, the cake plates stacked in the sink.
But the echo of laughter still lingered, as if the walls themselves were smiling.
I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the cup of tea in my hands. The girls were asleep, their curls still smelling faintly of frosting and candle smoke.
Five years.
Five years since Calderhallow became my refuge.
Five years since I buried the old me and tried to grow something new.
Five years since I stopped looking back.
And yet, tonight, something shifted.
Liora padded into the kitchen, her hair loose over her shoulders.
"Can't sleep?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Too many thoughts."
She sat across from me, waiting. She'd always been good at waiting never pushing, never prying, just holding space until I was ready.
"I think it's time," I said finally.
Her brows lifted slightly. "Time for what?"
"To go back."
The words felt strange and heavy on my tongue, like they didn't belong to me.
"Back to Arden City?" she asked carefully.
I nodded, my heart thudding against my ribs.
Liora was quiet for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Then she reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "You're sure?"
"No," I admitted, a small, humorless laugh escaping me. "I'm terrified. But I also know I can't stay here forever. The girls deserve more. They deserve to see who their mother really is what she's capable of."
"And what about you?" she asked softly.
I hesitated. "I think… I think I deserve to see that too."
We sat there in silence for a moment.
"You've built something here," she said gently. "It's okay to be proud of that."
"I am," I said quickly. "But I've been hiding, Liora. Hiding behind candles and perfumes and the safety of this little town. I don't want to hide anymore."
"You don't have to explain it to me," she said with a small smile. "I was just waiting for you to be ready."
I blinked back sudden tears. "Thank you. For everything. For staying when I was at my worst. For helping me raise them. For believing in me even when I couldn't."
She squeezed my hand again. "You were always going to rise, Rina. Calderhallow wasn't the end it was just where you learned how to stand again."
When she went to bed, I stayed at the table a little longer, staring at my phone.
Finally, I took a deep breath and dialed the number.
The investor answered on the second ring, surprised to hear from me so soon.
"I've thought about your offer," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
"And?"
"I'm ready to talk about next steps."
There was a pause then a smile I could almost hear through the phone.
"I'll have my team send over the details tomorrow."
When I hung up, I let out a shaky breath.
I was really doing this.
I was going back.
Back to Arden City.
Back to the place where everything had fallen apart.
But this time, I wouldn't be the girl who ran.
This time, I would walk in on my own terms.