Donna stayed home that night. Her body still felt sore and heavy. Every time she tried to close her eyes, flashes of that night played again and again in her head even though she tried not to think about it.
Honestly, she has never felt that way for a very long time.
Her phone buzzed beside the pillow. She groaned and reached for it.
" Girl, where the hell are you?" It was tasha, one of the girls from the club she was close with.
" You're not on the list tonight. You sick or something"
Donna rubbed her forehead " yeah, something like that. I caught a fever or whatever. My body feels off".
Tasha laughed lightly " you? Sick? Please. You just don't wanna dance tonight"
" Maybe" Donna muttered with a faint smile. " I'll see you in a few days"
" Alright, fine. Don't die on me, okay?" We got bills to pay "
When the call ended, Donna dropped the phone and stared at the ceiling. The joke wasn't funny, not when she actually did have bills to pay. Debt collectors don't care about fever or sleepless nights.
Still she stayed home for once, she let herself breathe.
...
A few days later, her body was painless and she needed to focus on what mattered....Ariana.
Her little sister was preparing to resume her boarding school and the girl couldn't stop talking about what she needed.
They spent the day at the market, moving from one shop to another, buying things from the list Ariana prepared.
" Slow down before you bump into someone" Donna said as Ariana sped ahead.
" Sorry" Ariana turned back, grinning. " Can we get ice cream after this?"
" You just had meat pie"
" I still have space "
Donna rolled her eyes. She was exhausted and ready to go home but Ariana wasn't. But she smiled and agreed" fine. One scoop not ten"
That was how they ended up at SWEET CRUMBS, a popular dessert shop known for it's crazily good and delicious ice cream. The place smelled like vanilla and chocolate.
Ariana went straight to the counter to pick flavours while Donna waited near the window, scrolling through her phone when something small bumped into her leg.
" Ow!" Came a tiny voice.
Donna looked down to see a little girl, probably four or five years of age, with curly hair and a pink headband. She was holding a melting cone and had ice cream smeared on her chin and mouth.
" Oh my God, I'm sorry" Donna said quickly bending down. " Are you okay, little girl?"
The girl rubbed her forehead and frowned " you hit me"
Donna blinked " me? You ran into me "
The little girl squinted at her " are you sure? "
" Yes, I'm sure" Donna said smiling and tapped her nose.
" Now what's your name, little miss trouble? First let me clean this off for you" Donna took out her handkerchief and cleaned her mouth.
The girl grinned " Chloe"
" Hmm nice name, so Chloe,where's your mom or dad before they start to think you have been kidnapped?"
The little girl gasped and whispered" you don't " you don't look like a kidnapper. You're too pretty to be one"
" Oh really? What do kidnappers look like?" Donna asked amused.
The girl tilted her head, studying her " scarier and ugly shoes"
Donna burst into laughter " well, thank you fashion expert"
Before the girl could respond, a deep voice called from behind them.
" Chloe!"
Donna froze at the sound. She turned around and her heart nearly stopped.
It was him
The man from that night.
But this time, he looked completely different. His hair was neat and styled perfectly. He wore a dark shirt beneath a fitted jacket, looking expensive and.... powerful?!. Nothing like the wild, desperate man she had seen.
For a moment she couldn't breathe. Her pulse kicked hard in her chest as the man walked up to her.
The man's eyes glanced briefly at her, unreadable then shifted to Chloe.
" You shouldn't run off like that. It's not safe " he said calmly.
Chloe pouted " you were slow and busy and I was bored"
His lips curved slightly" come on, let's go. I'm no longer busy.
He took her hand and turned to leave.
Chloe looked back at Donna and waved with a cheeky grin " bye, pretty lady!"
Donna smiled and just waved.
As they walked out, the man didn't look back once. Did he not recognise her??
Donna's stomach then twisted. Her gaze dropped to the child walking beside him with her small hand in his.
So he has a child..... she thought quietly
That means he's married
Her chest tightened. Shame burned in her stomach. ' God, what did I do '
She felt so disgusted with herself right now.
" Sis?" Ariana's voice pulled her back. She turned to see her sister walking towards her, holding two cups of ice cream.
" Why are you staring at like that?"
" Nothing" Donna said quickly, forcing a smile.
" Just thought I saw someone I know"
Ariana looked at her with concern then looked around the store to see if there's anyone familiar.
" Who??" She couldn't help but ask.
" It's nothing like I said," Donna muttered, taking the ice cream.
They both left the store and hailed a cab to take them and the things they bought to their home.
Along the way, Donna couldn't shake off the image of his calm face. He had no idea who she was maybe that is a good thing. She won't want to be the other woman in someone else's marriage.
....
A black SUV rolled out of the parking lot, sunlight flashing across the windshield. Chloe sat in the back seat, still licking what was left of her ice cream with her feet kicking the air.
Oliver glanced at her through the mirror, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You were a lifesaver back there," he said. "Thanks for helping me get away from that date."
Chloe grinned proudly. "Told you, Uncle Oli! I'm the best sidekick ever."
"Yeah, you are," he said, laughing under his breath. "I owe you dessert for a week and don't tell your parents. It's our little secret"
Before Chloe could cheer, Oliver's phone buzzed. He sighed when he saw the name. "Of course," he muttered and hit the answer icon.
"Grandpa."
"Don't Grandpame," came the firm voice. "I sent you on a date, How did it go?"
Oliver rolled his eyes. "You already know, don't you? You've got your little surveillance squad following me around."
"You caught me," Grandpa Frank said with a snort. "If I left it to you, I'd die before seeing my lovely great-grandkids."
"Grandpa..."
"Don't Grandpa me again! You're going on another date. Tomorrow. Seven o'clock. Same place. Don't mess this one up again"
Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "You scheduled another one?"
"I'm old, not patient," Frank said. "Be there or I'll show up myself."
The line went dead.
Chloe burst into laughter. "You're in trouble, Uncle Oli."
"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," he muttered, tossing the phone aside. "Guess who's helping me escape this next one?"
"Me!" she chirped immediately.
"Good answer," he said, smirking. "You're getting two desserts next time."
" Yayyyy" Chloe cheered
They drove in silence for a moment before Chloe leaned forward between the seats.
"Uncle Oli, that lady from the ice-cream shop was really pretty. I liked her. She's nice"
Oliver's brows lifted slightly. "Lady from the shop?"
"Yeah, the one I bumped into. She cleaned my mouth and called me 'little miss trouble.' You didn't even say thank you to her!"
He chuckled lightly. "Didn't notice. I was too busy chasing a runaway."
Chloe giggled, swinging her legs. "She was nice. You should marry someone like her instead of those boring date ladies."
Oliver laughed quietly but didn't answer. His smile faded after a second.
Because a face flashed in his mind not the one from Sweet Crumbs, but the woman from that night.
The dark room. The smell of sweat and sweet perfume. The way her eyes met his, full of fear and confusion and concern. The soft, clean scent that still haunted him something like vanilla and milk.
His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. He had pushed that memory aside for days but it never left.
Mark had already found her.
Oliver had known for some days now. But between work, meetings and the mess surrounding his drugging case, he was unable to see her.
He glanced at the rearview mirror.
Chloe was humming to herself, swinging her legs without having a single worry in the world.
" Alright, my little side kick. Let's get you home" he said softly with a small smile.
She looked up, smiling " you're not staying for lunch? "
" Not today dear" he replied. " Got somewhere I need to be"
" Business?"
He hesitated for a second " yeah, something like that"
She nodded, like she understood but she doesn't.
Fifteen minutes later, he dropped Chloe and drove off. He didn't know what he was expecting.... An argument or a normal conversation. Because what he did then wasn't something he was proud of and wants to make it up with her.