Chapter 152.

The last morning of the year arrived quietly.

Emilia woke up without having to prepare herself for battle. She lay beneath the covers for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.

The room was still dark.

The curtains were drawn, leaving only a thin line of morning light slipping through the gap between them.

The new phone Adrian sent to her vibrated beside her. She could not text him with her old phone. It had been tempered with.

Emilia reached for it lazily.

It had one message from Adrian.

Adrian: Good morning, sweetheart.

A smile appeared on her face before she could stop it. She stared at the message for a few seconds.

It was ridiculous how something so simple could still make her heart feel warm.

She typed back.

Emilia: Good morning.

Emilia rolled onto her side.

Adrian had become surprisingly good at making her smile through a phone screen.

She typed:

Emilia: What are you doing?

His answer came after a moment.

Adrian: Thinking.

She stared at the word. Before she could text back, a follow up text followed.

Adrian: About you.

Her cheeks warmed.

Emilia pulled the blanket higher over her face.

Her smile softened.

She stared at those words for a long moment.

There had been a time when she had wanted nothing more than to hear him say things like that.

Now that she finally had him again, it felt almost unreal.

She typed slowly.

Emilia: I missed this.

This time, his reply took longer.

Adrian: So did I.

Emilia looked at the screen.

There was something about Adrian’s texts that made her feel the weight of everything they had gone through without him ever needing to spell it out.

Emilia dropped her phone climbed out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. By the time she came downstairs, the smell of food had already filled the house.

"Mum?"

"Kitchen."

Emilia followed the voice.

Mrs. Hayes stood at the counter, tying her apron. She turned when she heard Emilia. "You’re finally awake."

Emilia smiled. "Good morning, Mum."

"Good morning, baby."

Her mother turned back to the counter. "Go and open the curtains in the living room."

"Yes, ma’am."

Her mother turned to her with a warning glance. Emilia smiled at her. "And bring the old calendar down." she added.

Emilia stopped. "The ritual?"

"The ritual."

"Okay."

She walked away.

For the next hour, the house slowly transformed.

Eventually, Emilia sat at the dining table with a cup of tea while her mother finished preparing lunch.

Her phone vibrated.

She glanced down.

Adrian: What are you doing tonight?

She typed: Staying home with Mum. We’ll probably eat, talk, and watch the countdown.

Adrian: Sounds peaceful.

Emilia: It is.

Then she hesitated, and finally added.

Emilia: I like peaceful.

His response came slowly.

Adrian: You deserve peaceful.

Her fingers stopped. She stared at the screen. Something about the sentence touched a place inside her that was still bruised.

She typed: So do you.

There was no response for several seconds.

Adrian: Maybe we’ll both get some this year.

Emilia smiled. She put the phone down.

Her mother glanced at her. "Adrian?"

Emilia looked up and then she nodded.

Mrs. Hayes nodded softly. "So you got a new phone just to remain in contact."

Emilia looked down at her tea. She said nothing.

The house became quiet for a moment.

Then Mrs. Hayes said, "You said you had something you wanted to tell me."

Emilia’s eyes lifted. "I do."

Her mother stopped what she was doing.

"What is it?"

Emilia hesitated. Not because she was afraid her mother would be angry. She simply didn’t know how to say it.

They had been through so much.

And this was one of those things that sounded simple until she actually had to put it into words.

She looked down at her hands.

"Mum..."

"Hmm?"

"Adrian and I..."

Her mother waited.

Emilia swallowed. "We’re together again."

Mrs. Hayes didn’t move, or speak. She simply stared at her daughter for several seconds.

Emilia’s heart began beating faster. "Mum?"

Her mother’s expression wasn’t angry. It wasn’t shocked exactly. It was something deeper. Something Emilia couldn’t read.

"I know what you’re thinking," Emilia said quietly.

"No." Mrs. Hayes finally spoke. Her voice was calm. "I don’t think you do."

Emilia looked at her.

Her mother slowly put down the spoon in her hand. "You’re together again?"

Emilia nodded.

"After everything?"

"Yes."

"Even after what happened at the hearing?"

"Yes."

Her mother nodded slowly. "And the fact that he lost his position?"

Emilia’s eyes lowered.

Mrs. Hayes watched her. "And you’re certain that you are back together?"

Emilia looked up. "Yes." There was no hesitation in her voice this time. "I am."

Her mother studied her face. Then she sighed softly. Mrs Hayes shook her head. Then her expression became serious again.

"Is this public?"

Emilia immediately shook her head. "No. Just Kylie knows."

Her mother nodded. "Anyone else?"

"No."

Mrs. Hayes was quiet.

Emilia waited. "We’re not making an announcement," she said softly. "Not yet."

Her mother looked at her. "Why?"

"Because of everything that happened." Emilia touched the edge of her cup. "I don’t want people turning us into a story again."

Her mother said nothing.

"I don’t want people discussing whether he should be with me or whether I should be with him. I don’t want my scholarship becoming part of the conversation. And I don’t want what happened at Blackwood happening again."

Her mother nodded slowly. "So you’re keeping it private."

"At first, it was private because we never put a name to the relationship. Now, it’s private because we need it to be."

Mrs. Hayes looked at her daughter for several seconds. Then she walked around the counter.

She came to the table and sat opposite Emilia. "You love him?"

Emilia’s heart softened. "Yes."

The answer came easily.

Her mother studied her. "And he loves you?"

"He told me."

Mrs. Hayes raised an eyebrow. "That’s not what I asked."

Emilia laughed quietly. "He does."

"How do you know?"

Emilia’s smile faded into something softer. "Because he came back."