Page 66 of Care: Part 1

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Care for Returns

Avelina let out a loud exhale. She had been dreading this moment for the past week and a half. It was the day HomeCare would release Avelina from caring for Adrik.

A crestfallen look came across her features. She imagined a different outcome. Avelina thought that after the contract’s termination, she would build a relationship with Adrik. Sadly, that was no longer the case.

Glancing down at her phone, she saw it was a text from Zaria. Zaria informed her that Adrik was at the office and not at home. That meant Avelina could get all of the clothing she left at his house, along with dropping off the contract for his signature.

She threw on a white blouse that she had resting in the back of her closet. Avelina hated how quickly her mind raced over to Adrik and how he once called her shirt a napkin. A small smile spread on her face at the memory of how they met. It felt like so long ago.

Slowly, her smile eased down to a frown.

Throwing on a pair of shoes, she grabbed the folder that withheld the contract before walking right out of her house. It was a busy day with people already beginning to walk amongst each other on the sidewalks.

Avelina immediately called out for a taxicab and awaited its presence. The yellow vehicle wasn't slow to perch itself right in front of her. She promptly got into the cab, where she told the man where to go.

Avelina's heart was beating entirely too fast. Just the thought of going back to Adrik's house didn't fail to strike fear within her. It didn't matter that Adrik wasn't going to be there; she was still nervous.

"Breathe," she whispered to herself.

Stupid butterflies were still fluttering around in her stomach, making it very hard to let go of her thoughts.

When she got a text on her phone from Vincent, she couldn't help but smile softly. The past few days with Vincent were getting better and better. It felt good to have a family finally. On the plus side, he was surprisingly a great company to have.

Vincent's text informed her that he would be stopping by the following day.

Avelina felt terrible for not telling him that she was going to Adrik's. It wasn't like she was going to see him or anything. She was only going to drop off her contract and to pick up her clothes. If she were to tell Vincent, he'd probably force one of his men to do it.

The truth was, she wanted to be the one to do it. She wanted to be the one to say goodbye to the place where she fell in love with Adrik. She finally felt ready to be that person she's always dreamed of being.

After quite a long drive, she was finally parked in front of Adrik's mansion. The guards were quickly alerted, but once they saw it was Avelina, they settled down.

She stepped out of the cab and began to walk up to the front door. The guard gave her a curt nod as she walked into the mansion.

Immediately, she wanted to burst out crying again. She was going to miss Adrik's house. Everywhere she looked managed to occupy her mind with memories, from the piano to the kitchen. She couldn’t escape him; he had taken a permanent living in the echoes of her mind.

Her shoes echoed through the home as she walked up the stairs.

The last time doing something always left a feeling to spread within a person. Though for Avelina, it wasn’t a feeling of accomplishment but rather longing. Suddenly, the first, third, and maybe even the thirteenth time—feel more special than anyone could ever realize.

Avelina walked into her old bedroom. The bed was freshly made. She remembered the last time she was in this room. Avelina was never the kind of girl who made her bed when she woke up in the mornings. It was typical for her to just get out of bed and go about her day.

When she saw the made bed, she knew exactly who had done it—Adrik. The very thought made her frown.

Avelina stepped further into her room to begin packing up all her clothing. She reached for her suitcase that she had left and began to fill it up with clothing.

As she packed, she started to sing songs in her mind to keep from thinking about him. Avelina knew that the moment she thought about how she was never going to see him again, that she ultimately will break down into tears once more.

She sniffled as she finally finished packing up her clothes. Avelina then rolled her suitcase out of her room and into Adrik's neat room.

She could remember the first time she had walked into his room. Johnathan was giving her a tour, and she was so in awe of how big the place was. It seemed like it was yesterday when that happened.

Avelina bit down on her lip as she looked at Adrik's bed. The bed was where they had their most intimate moments. Not just physical intimacy took place there, but also emotional intimacy.

She shook away the thoughts and placed the contract on his nightstand. Her hand rested on top of the paper that would end everything. It would be finalized. Did she want all of this to end?

A hand wandering up her hip brought her out of her thoughts. She quickly turned with a shocked expression on her face when she was met with those eyes of steel.