"Sometimes the past doesn't knock.
It just walks right back into your life —
uninvited, unapologetic,
and still holding your heart."
*****
(Brianna's POV)
Being a mother is never easy.
But being both a mother and a father—
that's a kind of challenge only those who've walked through the fire can truly understand.
Being a single mom means learning how to divide your heart into two equal parts —
one to nurture, the other to survive.
You wake up every morning wearing a brave face, even when your soul feels like it's falling apart.
You become the comfort and the protector, the dream and the reality.
There's no pause button. No space to crumble. No time to rest.
In the beginning, everything felt impossibly heavy.
Especially after losing both of my parents so close to each other.
I had no one to lean on. No shoulder to cry on.
Just me… and a tiny baby girl named Ella —
the only reason I kept breathing when life had already stopped feeling alive.
I made a promise to myself that day, as I cradled her fragile body in my trembling arms:
that no matter what it took,
I would make her happy.
I'd build a world where she'd never have to feel as lonely as I once did.
The small restaurant my parents left behind became my lifeline.
The walls were faded, the tables uneven,
but to me, it was hope with a door and windows.
I poured everything I had into it — tears, sleepless nights, and every ounce of love I had left.
From Ella's first cries to her first steps,
from burning my first dish to earning our first loyal customer,
that little restaurant became more than just a business.
It became our sanctuary — the heartbeat of our survival.
Now, six years later, I finally dared to dream again.
A dream I once only whispered during long nights when exhaustion blurred my vision —
to open a second branch.
To give Ella something bigger, something she could someday call her legacy.
But dreams don't build themselves.
And I knew I couldn't do it alone.
That's when fate decided to send me someone from my past —
Arthur, my high school friend.
The one who always found a way to make me laugh when everything felt impossible.
He came into my restaurant about a year ago,
a familiar face among unfamiliar days.
He'd just moved to this city and said he was looking for a partner for his new culinary project.
What I didn't expect was that his business had already been thriving back in his hometown.
And so we reconnected —
two old friends walking separate paths that somehow met again,
this time in the same world of food and ambition.
A month ago, Arthur offered me a collaboration —
a project that would merge his modern brand with my family's traditional recipes.
It was more than a business deal.
It was a golden opportunity.
One I couldn't afford to lose.
Today, I was supposed to pick Ella up from school, just as I'd promised her last night.
She'd been counting down the hours,
even picking which ice cream flavor we'd share afterward.
But the meeting with Arthur and two potential investors came up suddenly,
and life — as always — demanded another impossible choice.
With a heavy heart, I called Anya to ask her to pick up Ella.
I could already hear the disappointment in my daughter's voice before it even happened.
But this meeting could shape our future.
It wasn't something I could skip.
The meeting stretched longer than I planned.
The air in the conference room grew heavier with every passing minute.
I tried to stay focused, but my thoughts kept drifting —
to Ella's small hands clutching her schoolbag,
to her curious eyes scanning every car,
waiting for me.
When it finally ended, I grabbed my phone instantly.
And that's when I saw it — a message from Anya.
> "Mrs. Brianna, I didn't pick up Ella after all. Mr. Brayden offered to take her home. He said he just wanted to make sure she's okay."
My fingers froze mid-air.
The air felt thinner.
My chest tightened like a knot I couldn't untie.
Brayden.
He picked up Ella?
Without asking me first?
I forced a deep breath, trying to mask my panic behind a calm expression.
Arthur had returned to sit beside me after the investor left.
"Bri?" Arthur's voice broke through my fog. "You okay?"
I managed a faint smile. "Yeah. Just… a bit tired."
He nodded, concern flickering briefly before changing the topic.
"Remember back in high school? When we got detention for having identical test answers?"
I blinked, then laughed softly.
"Oh God. How could I forget? They made us run laps around the field under the blazing sun.
I nearly died of heatstroke."
Arthur chuckled. "Not nearly. You fainted, Bri.
And guess who carried you to the infirmary?"
I froze. The smile slowly faded.
That name still carried too much weight.
"Brayden," I whispered, barely audible.
I remembered that day — the whispers, the way he held me like I was weightless.
For a moment, I thought that maybe… just maybe, it meant something.
Maybe it meant he finally saw me.
But I was wrong.
When I woke up, he told me he only did it because my father had asked him to.
Not because he wanted to.
Funny, isn't it?
To love someone who never once looked back.
Brayden and I grew up together —
two only children from families who met too often at social events.
Everyone, especially our parents, whispered the same hope:
"They'd make such a perfect pair someday."
And eventually, that wish became a plan.
We got engaged after high school.
But love… love doesn't bloom from pressure.
It wilts under it.
I loved him. Deeply. Completely.
And he didn't.
*****
My thoughts scattered when a small, familiar voice called out,
"Mommy!"
I looked up instinctively, my lips forming a smile—
but it faltered when another voice followed, sharp as winter.
"So this is your 'important meeting'?"
Brayden's tall figure stood a few feet away,
his gaze piercing, his tone cutting.
"Too busy to pick up your own daughter?"
My breath caught. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Before I could say more, Arthur stood up, ever the gentleman.
"Brayden, right? Been a long time. How've you been?"
Brayden hesitated, his jaw tightening before he finally nodded. "Good."
Arthur smiled, sensing the tension but trying to ease it.
"I'll get going, Bri. We'll talk more about the project later, okay?"
"Sure," I said, voice faint. "Thanks, Arthur."
Once he was gone, I turned to Ella, kneeling to her level.
"Sweetheart, you had ice cream, didn't you?"
She nodded shyly. "Yes, Mommy. But Uncle treated me."
Then she looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Uncle, please tell Mommy not to be mad at me."
My heart softened at her innocence, but my gaze met Brayden's.
There was a storm behind those eyes — anger, frustration,
and something else… something unspoken.
"Ella," Brayden said gently,
"can I talk to your Mommy for a minute?"
She nodded. "Okay, Uncle. Mommy, I'll go play in the kids' room."
As soon as she disappeared, the air between us thickened.
"Anna, we need to talk," Brayden said, voice low but burning.
"Fine," I replied tightly. "Let's go to my office."
We walked in silence, footsteps echoing like ticking clocks.
When we entered, I gestured to the sofa. "Sit. Now tell me — what's this about?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Why didn't you pick up Ella? You were too busy flirting with another man?"
My head snapped up. "Excuse me? Flirting? With who?"
"Arthur," he said flatly. "I saw you two laughing."
I almost laughed out of disbelief.
"Laughing doesn't mean flirting, Brayden. We were talking about business.
Don't twist things into what they're not."
"Business?" His tone sharpened, his eyes narrowing.
"Then why couldn't you spare a few minutes to pick up your daughter?"
I clenched my fists, fighting the tremor in my voice.
"You think I wanted to miss it? This meeting was important, Brayden.
I couldn't just walk away."
"So your work matters more than your child?"
That one sentence — cruel, thoughtless —
cut through every wound I'd tried to heal.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"Everything I do, every sleepless night, every sacrifice, is for her!
So don't you dare stand there and act like I'm a bad mother."
"She was disappointed!" he shot back. "She thought you didn't care!"
"Enough, Brayden!" I shouted, my voice shaking.
"You know nothing about our life.
I raised Ella. Alone.
I fought through every storm while you were nowhere to be found!
And now you show up, pretending to understand?"
His gaze flickered — anger, regret, confusion — all tangled in silence.
"I don't understand because you never told me," he said finally.
"And what difference would it have made if I had?!"
My voice cracked.
"Would you have stayed?
Would you have suddenly turned into the man I begged for?"
He didn't answer.
The silence between us was heavier than any scream.
I took a shaky breath, forcing my tears back.
"I let Ella spend time with you — not because I wanted to,
but because she likes you.
I didn't want to break her heart.
But you… you're breaking mine all over again."
I turned away, unable to look at him anymore.
"Leave, Brayden. Before I regret letting you back into our lives."
He straightened, his jaw hard, eyes unreadable.
"Fine. I'll go.
But this time, Anna —
I won't let you or Ella slip away again."
The door closed behind him with a soft thud that felt like thunder in my chest.
I sank onto the sofa, hands trembling, heart screaming.
God…
Why does the man who once never fought for me
now act like he wants to fix everything?
Is this really about Ella…
or about me?
I don't know anymore.
All I know is —
I'm not ready to be broken again.