Chapter 22

"You should rest."

"I'm fine."

"You fainted back there!" Pace sounded worried.

Halle felt groggy. She rubbed her temple. She didn't want to believe it. But it would make sense why she's on the couch and not in the Baking Room which she last remembered.

"I'm fine now," Halle got up. "We have a lot of . . ."

"Doesn't matter," said Pace. "It's just coating the donuts."

"And we need cupcakes for tomorrow. They'll get completed half way through tomorrow."

"It is fine." said Pace. "You're important too, you know. Rest for a while, I'll complete the donuts and we'll close for today."

Halle didn't argue. "Juniper made a mistake a long time ago. He helped her get out of it. That's how I got to know him."

Pace stopped and turned. "What mistake?"

Halle smiled dejectedly. "She'll kill me if I tell you. But to hell with her. She was too self-centered and proud that most girls in our high school hated her. And she managed to rub the wrong way on one of them.

"That girl was rich. She couldn't continue there after that because all of them ganged up on her. Even the staff couldn't do anything about it. Then I don't know how, but she found this guy and he offered to help. She was delighted because he was richer than most of the folk here. He silenced everyone within a day and I didn't see that girl in school after that. Everyone was more terrified of her than before and she relished it. Later she introduced him to me . . ."

"You and she went to the same school right?"

"Yes."

"And they didn't bully you because of your sister?"

"No . . ." Halle pondered. "We were never on good terms, so they didn't treat me differently. Besides, she never liked me, always said I didn't know how to live." Halle looked up. "She always ends up lucky. And she had my dad's support, she became too presumptuous."

"If she doesn't like you then why would she introduce you to him?" asked Pace. "He helped her after all."

"I don't know." said Halle. "After that she found Elric, a kind-hearted fella. But that wasn't why she wanted to marry him. She wanted to marry him because he was rich. And she did it. She cut ties soon after.

"But dad thought it was because of Elric. I told him that it was all Juniper but he didn't believe it. More like he didn't want to believe me. Maybe he was selfish and he thought he could milk Elric and get the money pay off his debt, I don't know.

"Then he . . . Kairo," her tongue felt bitter saying his name. "mocked my dad about how Juniper foiled all his plans by cutting ties. He got angry. Of course he would right? But I stayed quiet. I was there and I . . . stayed quiet like I was his dog. I wish I had spoken something. Asked him to shut up. But I know that taking either side would destroy me so I just didn't. Instead I watched the whole thing unfurl and that was it. I couldn't face my dad after that.

"But watching the whole thing changed me somehow. In Kairo's place I only saw a sick man who didn't deserve any love. He broke my dad and I saw him in a different light. He did it to me all the time and it didn't matter but . . ." she paused. "His eyes. He relished doing it and that, I don't know, brought me back to my senses? I couldn't be with him after that. I had to break it off.

"But before that, dad died. He had a heart attack. Most of them blamed me saying it was my fault behind dad's death. Kairo humiliated him and it was my fault because I didn't stop him. I wasn't allowed to attend the funeral." Halle laughed. "He stopped me from going saying I shouldn't see him that it would be my revenge on him for favouring my sister over me. And I fought with him and went there only to not be allowed to see my dad for the last time.

"Juniper was there. Nobody said a damn thing. It was me they didn't want. I left. I didn't go back to his house. I . . . just wandered . . . thinking. Three days later I couldn't stand him anymore I packed my stuff and was ready to leave. At that time it was Shizuka who called me about mum fainting. I rushed to the hospital and the doctor said that she needed an operation to be fully cured. But we can stall the operation for a few years until it becomes fatal.

"On top of that, we couldn't go back to the house because the debt collectors took it and we still had a huge amount of money that dad owed them. I called Juniper to help but she cut the call saying that it was dad's fault and it was his problem not hers anymore as she got married. Elric said he'll help but I think she stopped him. Later Shizuka and I came to a conclusion that I had to the one property that I owned. After that, I was debt free but mom and I had nowhere to go.

"Shizuka and her husband decided that we could stay in their house. So that's what I've been doing since then. Mom's condition has slowly worsened and I was able to start saving only from last year."

Pace stared at her unable to speak.

"All these memories hit me at the same time," explained Halle. "That's probably why I fainted."

"I don't know what to say." Pace decided. "I would punch Juniper if I see her anywhere."

"The only time she'll come to this town would be when mom dies."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I said the truth." said Halle. "I'm done with niceties. I buried them deep so that I wouldn't have to dig them up."

"How did he let you go?"

"Well, he got into a tight situation where he either had to stay here and manipulate me to stay with him or leave abroad and study and join his father's business. It was an easy choice for him. But before he left, he told me he'll come back and get his revenge. Told me nobody would treat me the way he did. Nobody would care about me as much as he did. And for ruining his life, karma will kick my butt.

"But honestly though?" said Halle. "I would be happy if nobody treated me the way he treated me. He treated me like a dog. Who would want that?"

Halle tried to laugh it all off but she couldn't control the tears that were so close to falling from her eyes. Pace hugged her.

"It's alright."

"I'm fine," said Halle. "I don't know why I'm crying."

"Stop being silly," chided Pace. "Accept that it hurts. Then let it go."

"I can't let it go." She pulled away. "The memories. They're the kind of memories that wake you up at night in cold sweat. If not for mom, I don't know what I would've done."

Halle added as an afterthought. "It was a good thing I didn't listen to him about leaving the job I had at that time."

"Before the café?"

Halle nodded. "It helped me pay off a percentage of the loan and also enough money to start the café. Of course I worked some odd jobs to get enough money to put 60% of the money that we used for the café. The rest was yours. I'm glad you chose to do this with me. I still can't believe you'd want to join with me and do this."

"Well," said Pace. "I wanted to make people happy. You wanted the same thing. My fiancé was okay with it. He was the one who gave me the money at that time. And it's been going great since."

"Happy to hear that."