Chapter 1

The last thing I needed today was to be ten minutes late for one of the most important meetings of my career. Melody was having a bad day today, hence I had to take extra time and patience with her. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be late to a million meetings than disregard my daughter’s emotions, but why was it today of all days, I wondered as I drove through the roads of New York like a half-crazed woman.

Luckily, Anna, my assistant, had called to inform me that my soon-to-be business partner was running late as well, so my only goal was to get to the office before they did. I will not look incompetent.

The force of something hitting my brand-new Tesla lunges me a bit forward. I shut my eyes hoping this is all some cruel joke. I stepped out of my car to see the car that had hit me and assess the damage to mine.

“Are you serious right now? I just got this car” I groaned, it was a limo. Great, I’m sure the driver would be rich enough to fix my bumper.

I walked over to the car. The windows are tinted, so I cannot see anything, but regardless, I knock on the window of the limo.

Who hits someone and doesn’t come out to apologize?

“Hey! Excuse me, could you step out for a minute? You hit my car, and you need to do something about it”, I called out, but there was no response. The driver didn't even roll down his window. Frustrated, I run my fingers through my hair and chuckle, people must think I’m a mad woman now. A police officer walked over to me.

“Ma’am, you need to move your car, you are causing traffic”

“I’m sorry officer, it’s just that this limo hit me and my bumper has been ruined, but they have refused to come out to at least apologize. How can anyone be so stuck up and rude? I don’t have time for this. If the person doesn’t come out, then I’m not moving”, I shrug.

The officer moves over to the limo and I glance at my watch, praying that at least my soon-to-be business partners are somewhere in this traffic I’ve made. At least one thing needs to go right for me today.

The limo doors opened and a tall figure in a dark suit stepped out. I didn’t even need to see the full view of his face for my heart to drop to my stomach with a thud loud enough for the entire New York to hear if there was a microphone in my belly. A sheen layer of perspiration covers my forehead and I have a sudden need to fan myself even though we are just shy of winter.

What is he…? Why is he here? Did he find me? After all these years…

We are face to face now, his face mirroring mine, revealing pure shock and utter confusion. I feel stone-cold, and my heart is going a mile a nanosecond, there isn’t enough oxygen, the sounds of the blaring horns of impatient New Yorkers come to a blur and the police officer is now nonexistent. It’s just him and I staring at each other.

A hand shakes me and I look, it’s the police officer, and all I can understand are his lips mouthing.

“Are you okay?”

No… no I am not. Why is he here? Why?

But I can’t find my voice, my composure… nothing. I started to stumble back, shaking the officers' hold off of me, the sounds started to return, and I finally took notice of the various eyes on me, including those emerald green ones that always had me weak in the knees, just like they used to years ago.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

“I… I’m fine” I squeaked as I turned around to make a run for my car, but the officer hurried after me.

“You look quite pale ma’am”

“I promise… I’m okay, I just need to get out of here” I said, waving my hands, hoping he’d leave me alone, hoping those green eyes aren’t real, hoping today isn’t real.

“But what about your car? He is willing to pay for the damage”

“Don’t worry… uh, I can… I can get it fixed. Sorry for disturbing you… please go on with your day”, stuttered as I opened the door of my car. I quickly got in. It wasn’t until then that I realized I hadn’t been breathing, I was so pale.

I took a few puffs of my inhaler and tried to calm myself. Maybe it was just the stress of the day, with Melody throwing a tantrum and with me planning this business deal for months, I was just out of it. I was just hallucinating. I tried to convince myself. Deep down I knew I was delusional because that encounter was as real as it gets, those green eyes have been engraved in my soul, that I know every streak and that body I have kissed every inch till reckless abandon.

The moment I looked at my rearview mirror to see him still standing there, with arms folded and staring directly at me from the mirror, he had been watching me. The shock in his eyes was long gone now and had been replaced with anger and sheer confusion, telling me if I didn’t step on the gas in five minutes, he was going to come after me and demand answers. The answer I am not ready to give is that I drove away at the speed of lightning. At this point, I don’t even care about getting a speeding ticket, I just need to get away from him.

My body is a nervous wreck, trying to recover from what it feels to be around him again, in the same air bubble as a million thoughts run through my mind. Has he been looking for me all these years? Did he know about her? What if he knows where I live?

I long press the on button on my phone.

“Siri, FaceTime mom”

It took a while for Mum to calm me down, she was pretty freaked out as well.

“What am I going to do mom, what if he shows up? What will I tell Mel? Maybe she could stay with you for a couple of days until I’m sure the coast is clear or…”

“Sammie, how long do you want to live like this? It’s been six years for heaven’s sake and, besides, let’s say he’s here because of you. Have you ever thought maybe it’s time you guys talked about what happened?”

“Mommm”

“Samantha, he deserves to see his child, but either way, he may not be here for you, and you may not see him again. It’s a big city anyway.”

“Yes… it’s pretty big, right? Right”

“Sammie…”

“I’m fine Mom. I have to now, thank you”

Everything is going to be okay. Everything is fine. So what if Asher was in New York? It changes nothing, and it has nothing to do with her or Melody.