Chapter 59: Unfinished Business

Lani stared at her phone, disbelief washing over her as she read the message again.

"Hey, old friend. Long time no see."

Vanessa.

After all these years, after everything she had done, she had the nerve to message her?

Lani's grip on her phone tightened as memories flooded back—betrayal, heartbreak, the moment she had realized Vanessa was never the friend she thought she was.

She exhaled sharply, her mind racing.

Why now?

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. Part of her wanted to ignore the message entirely. Another part wanted to demand why Vanessa was reaching out.

Before she could decide, another message popped up.

"Miss me?"

Lani scoffed, shaking her head. You've got to be kidding me.

She finally typed back:

"What do you want?"

A few seconds later, the typing bubble appeared.

"Just to talk. Maybe even catch up. We used to be so close, remember?"

Lani gritted her teeth. Yeah, and you ruined that.

But before she could reply, a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Mom?"

She looked up to see Lily standing at the doorway of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Lani quickly put her phone down and softened her expression. "Hey, baby. What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," Lily mumbled, walking over to her.

Lani immediately scooped her up, holding her close. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here."

As she comforted her daughter, the message from Vanessa momentarily faded from her mind.

But deep down, she knew—Vanessa wasn't back just to talk.

---

Meanwhile, Elias sat alone in his office at work, rubbing his temples. The exhaustion was getting worse. His body was screaming for rest, but he ignored it.

He had too much to prove.

Too much to fix.

And now, Vanessa had become an unexpected part of his life. She had been nothing but helpful so far—offering him coffee, making sure he wasn't overworking himself too much. It was nice to have someone looking out for him at work.

But something about her felt… strange.

Like she was watching him too closely.

Like she knew something he didn't.

Shaking off the thought, he stood up. He needed to get home.

As he walked out, Vanessa appeared at the end of the hallway. She smiled. "Long day?"

Elias chuckled. "Yeah. You?"

"Oh, always." She stepped closer, tilting her head. "You know, you really should take better care of yourself."

"I'm fine," Elias assured her.

Vanessa smirked. "You keep saying that. But collapsing at work isn't exactly fine, is it?"

Elias stiffened. "How do you—"

"I pay attention," she interrupted, crossing her arms. "And I don't like seeing good people burn themselves out."

Elias sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but really, I'm okay."

Vanessa hummed, unconvinced. "If you say so."

As Elias turned to leave, Vanessa watched him with curiosity.

Lani had found herself a good man.

Too bad she was never one to let go of the past.

Lani sat on the couch after putting Lily back to bed, her mind still circling around Vanessa's message.

Why now?

Her gut told her something was off, but before she could dwell on it further, Elias walked in. He looked exhausted—his usual bright eyes were dull, and there was a weariness in the way he moved.

"Long day?" she asked softly.

He forced a small smile. "Yeah, but it was okay."

Lani narrowed her eyes, knowing when he wasn't being completely honest. But before she could press further, her phone buzzed again.

Another message from Vanessa.

"See you soon, Lani. Whether you like it or not."

Lani stiffened, her grip on the phone tightening.

Elias noticed her sudden change in expression. "Everything okay?"

She hesitated. Should she tell him?

Instead, she forced a tight smile. "Yeah. Just something annoying."

Elias nodded, clearly too tired to ask more questions. "I'll take a quick shower and head to bed."

Lani watched as he walked away, something heavy settling in her chest.

She wasn't sure what game Vanessa was playing, but one thing was clear—this wasn't just a coincidence.

And she wasn't going to let her ruin the life she had built.

---

Vanessa smirked as she stared at her phone screen.

She knew Lani wouldn't ignore her forever.

It was only a matter of time before they came face-to-face again.

And when they did?

Well… she had a few things to say.

After all, unfinished business always had a way of resurfacing.

To be continued…