“I wasn’t very good company,” I said, stretching as he turned off the engine.
“It’s fine,” he replied easily.
He unbuckled Lucas and lifted him effortlessly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Inside, I changed Lucas into his pyjamas and tucked him in. He was asleep again within seconds.
Caleb declined coffee.
We stood awkwardly by the door.
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
“I really enjoyed today,” he said, hands moving restlessly. “You look exhausted. You and Lucas need a good night’s sleep.”
“He’ll be up again at six,” I groaned.
“I’d better go then.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Good night,” he said, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Taken aback by his kiss, I stood there for a moment, my fingers still resting on the edge of the door. I watched him through the narrowing gap as he stepped into the elevator. A soft smile tugged at my lips as I finally closed the door behind me. After setting a reminder to take my medication in the morning, I slipped into bed. Sleep claimed me almost instantly as my head touched the pillow, my last thought lingering on that kiss.
21
NYAH
Sunday was meant to be a lazy day—slow and gentle, a pause before another week began. I needed that rhythm—the predictability of church, Patty’s cooking, Lucas beside me—because when life moved too fast, it reminded me how easily things could slip out of control.
While sipping my morning tea, I checked my phone for messages and gave Lucas a few extra minutes of quiet time playing in his room in lieu of his missed hours of sleep. He’d been overtired, wired with excitement and emotions. I let him have those minutes because childhood should be soft where it can be.
A message grabbed my attention.
DONNA
Nyah, I need an urgent favour. Call when you wake up. It’s really important.
I immediately dialled Donna’s number.
“Nyah, I don’t know who else to turn to,” Donna blurted as soon as she picked up. “I need to borrow $10,000.”
The number sent a cold shock throughme. “$10,000? What the hell, Don? What’s happened?” My voice sounded sharper than I intended, but shock has a way of stripping gentleness away.
Sobbing, Donna told me how her stepfather had gambled away her mother’s savings, and hoping to recover the loss, he’d borrowed $10,000 from a loan shark.
My chest burned with fury.
“And then he lost that, too. He spilled the beans to Mom last night, and now he needs to pay them back $12,500 in a week or else the loan shark will come after all of us.” Fear threaded through her words.
This wasn’t about money anymore. It was about safety, and I knew how much that mattered. Rage surged through me at the recklessness, at the cruelty of consequences that always seemed to land on the innocent. I swallowed it down. Anger wouldn’t protect them. Action might. This was the moment—where choices narrowed, and priorities revealed themselves. I calmed Donna down, promising I would arrange something.
I wanted to call Elle and see what we could do together, but Elle and Karl had plunged all their savings into their mortgage. I couldn’t ask that of them. Plus, it wasn’t my place to share Donna’s news with her, anyway. Donna’s fear wasn’t mine to distribute.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have the money; I’d earmarked it for something else. Something important. Something I had already delayed too many times. How long would it take Donna to pay me back? Three or four months? Surely not longer than that. I clung to the optimism because the alternative was admitting what I was sacrificing.
I made a quick call to Dr. Sloan and left a message. Even as I dialled, guilt wrapped itself around my ribs.
“Hi, it’s Nyah. I just wanted to let you know that I will have to delay the procedure for a couple of months. Something has come up. I’ll be ready by early next year. Until then, could you please arrange for a stronger dose of meds? Thanks.”
The words came out practiced, controlled—too calm for a decision that mattered this much.
