I have learnt my lesson

Genevieve’s POV

 

Six Years Later

I smiled as I stepped into my son’s room. My heart swelled with joy as I watched my little angel sleeping peacefully. Quietly, I shut the door and walked to his bed, sitting beside him. His tiny, perfect face made me melt every time.

“My love,” I whispered, brushing my fingers gently over his cheek. “Jasper, darling.” I gave him a soft shake.

“Mmm...” he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. I chuckled.

“You’ll be late for school,” I said.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled, burrowing under the covers. I laughed quietly. He was never a morning person, no matter how early he went to bed.

“What if I drive you to school today?” I teased.

His eyes flew open. “Really, Mama?”

I nodded. “Gloria’s off today, so I’ll drop you off and pick you up too.”

His face lit up. “Yay!” He jumped up and threw his little arms around me.

“Good morning, Mama,” he said sweetly.

“Good morning, my love.” I kissed his forehead. “Did you sleep well?”

He nodded, grinning. “I had a dream!”

“Oh? Was it a good one?”

“Yes! I made a new friend,” he said proudly.

“Another friend?” I laughed. “You already have so many.”

“I know, but this one was special. It was a man.”

“A man?” I raised an eyebrow. “What did he look like?”

“He was tall and had a nice face,” he said thoughtfully.

I chuckled. “Interesting. Now, what’s for breakfast? Cereal or eggs and bread?”

“Froot Loops!” he declared, flashing his puppy-dog eyes.

I shook my head. “We’re out of Froot Loops.”

“No, we’re not, Mama!” he protested.

“Alright, let’s check, Detective Froot Loops,” I teased.

We shared a laugh before I got him ready for school. An hour later, we were in the car, Jasper in the back seat, happily watching cartoons on his iPad.

At school, I parked and unbuckled his seatbelt. “I’ll miss you,” I said, smothering him in kisses.

Jasper giggled. “Mommy, I just got here!”

“I still miss you,” I replied.

He smiled. “I’ll miss you too, Mommy.”

I stroked his cheek, my chest tightening with love. “I love you, Jasper.”

“I love you too, Mama,” he whispered, hugging me tightly.

After dropping him off and meeting a few of his friends, I headed to work.

**************

I pulled into the office parking lot and grabbed my bag. As soon as I entered, a familiar voice greeted me.

“Good morning, Miss Charming.”

My cheeks warmed. It was Jamie, my colleague. That smooth voice was starting to get to me.

“Good morning,” I replied, trying to sound casual.

“You look good today,” he said, his tone sincere.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“How’s Jasper?” he asked.

“He’s fine. I dropped him off at school.”

Jamie smiled. “I miss him.”

I laughed. “I miss him too.”

We walked in silence for a moment until he cleared his throat nervously.

“So, dinner tonight?” he asked, glancing at me before quickly looking away.

I stopped and turned to face him. His nervousness was obvious.

What excuse could I give this time? Office romance? No, I’ve learned my lesson.

“The dinner?” I asked. My voice was steady, even though I felt a small bit of guilt.

“Yes. I’ll pick you up at 7pm!” he said quickly, as if afraid I’d change my mind. “Please don’t cancel on me this time,” he added softly.

“I won’t,” I promised, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes.

“I can’t wait to pick you up,” he said, smiling back. He looked genuinely excited, but I couldn’t bring myself to match his energy. Instead, we walked together toward the elevator in silence, my mind already racing for a way out of tonight. Once inside the elevator, we stood side by side, but with a few other staff members present, there was no space for conversation. The silence only added to my unease. Seconds later, the elevator dinged, and we stepped out onto our floor.

“I hope you have a lovely day. See you later,” Jamie said, smiling warmly before heading off to his office. I watched him leave.

“I saw that! Now spill. Don’t leave out a single detail!” Lucy’s annoyingly chipper voice broke into my thoughts.

“Not now, Lucy. I’ve had enough for one day,” I muttered, quickening my steps toward my office. She was relentless, though, jogging to catch up with me, tablet in hand.

“You know I won’t believe that, right?” she teased, smirking.

“I have nothing to say,” I replied, “If you’re so curious, go ask Jamie yourself.”

“But the story is always sweeter from the source!” Lucy grinned mischievously. I rolled my eyes as I stepped into my office, grateful for its quiet sanctuary. It was a space I’d designed to be both functional and inviting, my desk on one side, a cozy lounge area for visitors on the other. Lucy plopped onto one of the chairs in the lounge, watching me as I moved behind my desk.

“Let me guess,” she began with a dramatic pause. “He reminded you of the date, and you got annoyed.”

“How did you know that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Girl, I know everything! The last time he asked, you gave some excuse and promised him today. So of course, he waited for you to show up.”

“He waited?” I frowned; I felt a small surprise.

“Yup. He came in earlier, asking for you. I told him you hadn’t arrived yet. I saw him go back into the elevator, and I’m pretty sure he waited downstairs just to remind you. So…” She grinned knowingly. “We have a date to plan, don’t we?”

“There’s no date,” I muttered, sinking into my chair. “I’ll come up with an excuse.”

“What excuses this time?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“I don’t know. Maybe Jasper’s sick.”

“You’ve used that one before. Give Jasper a break, he deserves better than being your go-to excuse,” Lucy said, shaking her head.

“It’s too early for this argument, Lucy. I just want my coffee and to focus on work.”

“This is the ninth date you’ve canceled with Jamie,” she pointed out, her tone half-amused, half-exasperated.

“Ninth?!” I shot her a look. “I didn’t know you were keeping track.”

“What are you afraid of, Genevieve?” she asked, leaning forward.

“Afraid? I’m not afraid of anything,” I snapped, but my voice wavered slightly.

“Liar,” Lucy said, smirking as she sat back in the chair. “You’re a terrible liar, by the way.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Can’t he just take the hint? With all the excuses I’ve given, shouldn’t it be obvious I’m not interested?”

“Don’t be so harsh. He probably does know, which is why he’s been so patient. He’s just asking for a friendly dinner.”

“Friendly or not, I’m not interested. Especially not in an office romance.”

Lucy’s tone softened. “You know, not everyone is going to be like him, right?”

I stiffened, her words hitting too close to home. “I don’t care. I just want to focus on Jasper and my career.”

“Or is it because you think he’s beneath you? You’re the senior manager, and he’s just a manager.”

I shot her a glare. “I don’t look down on Jamie. He’s a good guy, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not interested.”

Lucy smirked. “He’s more than just a good guy, you know. He’s got investments, and let’s not forget, he’s gorgeous.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Lucy, can we focus on work? What’s on my to-do list today?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

She grinned but swiped through her tablet. “Fine. Damian will be here with your coffee soon. You have a board meeting at eleven, and you need to wrap up the new product project for the boss. Presentations in three days.”

I nodded, typing notes into my laptop.

“Then you’ve got an outdoor meeting at two,” she added.

“What meeting?” I asked, looking up.

“New client. They’ve got a proposal for a partnership, and the boss wants your opinion.”

I made a note of it. “Anything else?”

“Nope, that’s it.”

“Good. I won’t be staying late today. I need to pick Jasper up from school.”

“Okay. But if you need me to watch him tonight so you can go on your date…” She trailed off with a grin.

“Lucy!” I glared at her, but she just laughed.

*********************

 The day flew by as I buried myself in work, attended meetings, and even managed a light lunch. By 1:50pm, I was at Landmark’s Cafe for the meeting with the new client. The cafe was quiet, with only a few customers scattered around. As I stepped inside, I scanned the room, searching for someone who looked like a businessman. That’s when I saw him, the man in the suit, sitting alone at a table. His back was to me, but it was clear he was the person I was meeting.

I approached slowly, my heels clicking against the floor. He was focused on his phone, his head bowed. I was about to greet him when his hostile voice said, 

 “Why are you just coming?” he snapped, not even looking up.

My feet glued to the floor at first. My heart started racing, not because of his words but because of the voice itself. It was a voice I knew too well, a voice that had haunted my dreams for the past six years.

 “Can’t you talk? I said what took…” He stopped mid-sentence as he finally looked up. My heart stopped. It was him, the father of my son that I don’t want to see again.