Chapter three

Millie's POV

And there I was, sitting on the bench with a cup of coffee beside my feet. In just a matter of minutes, I became homeless and lost my job. The only thing that did not bother me was Mark. Sandra could keep him for herself. His betrayal stung a little, but I had serious problems to think about. First, I will have to find a new job.

My phone rang again. It was Gabrielle. She had been calling me for the last twenty minutes, but I was not ready to talk to her right now. I sipped my coffee, thinking about my current situation.

What was the most hurtful was my father's betrayal. I always knew he wanted to be Sandra's favourite stepdad, but I would never imagine he would turn his back on me. But there he was, sitting quietly while Debora and her good-for-nothing mother were humiliating me in every possible way. He allowed them to take everything from me like I was nothing to him.

If my mother would be still with us, nothing like this would happen. But she was long gone.

Tears filled my eyes, and I wiped them quickly.

My phone rang again, and I picked it up, knowing that Gabrielle would go to my house if I did not answer her call. That could be funny, as she was like a demon when it came to protect me.

" Hi, Gabrielle, " I said, trying to sound cheerful.

" Where the hell are you? It has been hours since you left." My best friend sounded angry, and I looked at my watch. She was right, and I just lost track of time.

" I will be back soon," I replied, thinking about my conversation with Gabrielle. She will squeeze me like a lemon to find out what happened.

"Okay. The dinner will be ready in about two hours. Do not be late."

I let out a breath. Two hours until the interrogation I was not ready for.

I leaned back on the bench, exposing my face to the last sun of summer. Soon, the weather will change, and there will be much more rain.

When I was enjoying my time, I heard the sound of something being crushed and a warm liquid splashed on my feet.

I looked up immediately, and a man was standing in front of me with an apologetic look all over his face.

Without a word, I looked down at the completely ruined cup and my shoes and feet now covered in coffee.

I do not know why, but this sight made me so sad that I broke into tears.

" I am so sorry. Are you hurt?" The man kneeled beside me and pulled a tissue to wipe the coffee off my shoes.

" No," was the only thing I managed to say.

" Let me take a look. I am really sorry. I should have been looking where I was going." He said again, but I could barely hear it, too occupied with crying. It looked like this incident freed all the feelings I tried to conceal in me so badly.

" I will get you another coffee right away." The man said, finishing cleaning my shoes. Then, without warning, he stood up and disappeared inside the coffee shop.

I tried to calm down when he came back.

" I had no idea what you like, so I decided on a latte with extra caramel and cream." He said and handed me a cup. " Please try, and you will feel better."

I looked up at him, and he watched me with the same concern. He even seemed a little scared.

Then, it occurred to me how I had to look in his eyes. A crazy lady who started to cry over the spilt coffee. Great.

I mustered a slight smile on my lips, and he visibly relaxed.

" Thank you. It has been a hard day, and it looked like this was the last drop. I usually do not act like this." I mumbled. This man deserved a little explanation to stop thinking that I was mentally unstable.

" No worries, we all have bad days sometimes." He said, and to my complete surprise, sat beside me on the bench.

I took a closer look at my companion. He was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. His face was partially hidden under the baseball cap, but I noticed a strong jawline covered with a short, black beard. He was handsome, but after today, I promised myself to stop with men for a lifetime. I was just betrayed by someone I lived with for three years. I am not going to fall into another trap.

" On a scale from one to ten, how bad was your day?" He asked out of the blue, stopping me from staring at him. I looked down at my cup instead.

" Twelve," I said with a chuckle.

" That bad, huh?" He asked and whistled.

" Yeah," I replied dryly. " Not every day you become chated, homeless, and jobless."

" That is twelve, then." He replied without humour.

My phone rang, and I noticed that my time was almost over. I picked it up, turning away from my companion.

" I am on my way back, Gabrielle," I said quickly, standing up.

" Thank you for the coffee," I mumbled, and he gave me a slight nod.

I turned around to leave when he spoke again.

" Twelve, wait."

I saw him writing something on a small piece of paper.

" Do you have anywhere to go?" He asked, and this time, I nodded.

" I will stay at my friend's place for a while," I responded, shrugging my arms.

The man came closer and gave me a piece of paper, now folded in half.

" If you will need any help, just give me a call."

I took the paper, looking him straight in the eyes. His gesture touched something inside me. This complete stranger offered me help while my family turned their back on me. I felt tears building back in my eyes.

" Thank you," were the last words before I walked away.