Chapter 186
Chapter 186
Mia went back home dancing. She rotates into the house, laughing to herself as she closes the door behind her.
For the first time in a long while, her chest didn’t feel tight with fear or uncertainty.
She has gotten the job. The job. And it wasn’t just any job. It was with ABL.
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She squealed, throwing her arms up like a kid who just got their favourite toy. “I got the freaking job!” she shouted to no one in particular, spinning around in the living room.
She danced her way into the kitchen, almost slipping on the tile floor but catching herself with a laugh.
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Her eyes stung with tears she didn’t even try to hold back. Happy tears. Overwhelming, heart–pounding joy that made her eyes water as she stood by the kitchen counter, staring out the window.
She got it.
She actually got it.
Mia quickly started dinner, humming while she chopped onions and stirred rice on the stove. Her movements were light, almost bouncy. She was so lost in her joy she barely noticed the knife slipping once and nicking her finger slightly.
“Ouch,” she mumbled, sticking it in her mouth, still smiling. Not even a small cut will ruin her mood today.
She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her brother:
GOT THE JOB!!!*
Barely three seconds later, her phone rang. Ethan’s name flashed on the screen, and Mia picked up with a breathless grin.
“You got it?!” his voice shouted from the other end.
“I GOT IT!”
They both screamed together, her brother shouting with her through the speaker like she just won a jackpot.
“I’m so proud of you, Mia! This is huge!”
“I know,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “I can finally breathe again.”
They talked for a few minutes before she hung up and checked the time. It was getting close to when she needed to go pick Aiden up from school.
Her heart skipped a little. It was his first full day, and although she had spent the morning pretending to be confident, she had worried every second since she dropped him off.
Did he cry? Was he okay? Did he eat? Did he make friends? Was he scared?
Mia took a cab to the school, her stomach full of butterflies. She had told herself all day that he would be fine, but now she just needed to see
him.
The school compound was filled with parents waiting at the gates or chatting with each other. Some of the kids were already spilling out of classrooms into waiting arms
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Chapter 186
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Mia walked through the hallway, her steps quick but careful. She found his classroom, and as she peeped inside, her heart melted instantly.
There he was. Her little man.
Aiden was playing with another boy, two small toys in their hands, making little engine noises as they laughed together. His hair was a mess, his shirt was slightly stained, and his backpack was half–zipped, but none of that mattered.
He was happy.
Mia’s smile stretched so wide it made her cheeks hurt. Her heart swelled with a kind of joy that could only be described as pure undiluted joy.
Then Aiden spots her.
He dropped the toy immediately and yelled, “Mama!”
He ran into her arms.
Mia bent down and scooped him into her arms, hugging him tightly. She breathed in the scent of crayons and the faint scent of lunch still clinging to his clothes.
“I missed you, baby,” she whispered into his hair.
“I missed you, Mama,” he said, hugging her even tighter.
She looked up and gave the teacher a polite smile. The teacher smiled back warmly and walked over with Aiden’s other bag and a little sheet of paper.
“He had a great day,” the teacher said. “A bit shy at first, but he opened up quickly.”
Mia let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.”
“He’s very polite and made two friends already. He even shared his crayons.”
Mia looked down at him, and he was beaming.
“You did all that today?”
Aiden nodded, grinning proudly.
“Bye Miss June!” he waved at his teacher.
“Bye Aiden! See you tomorrow!” the teacher replied.
Aiden waved goodbye to his new friend too, and Mia held his little hand as they walked out of the school building. He skipped beside her, swinging their joined hands like he was the happiest kid on earth.
Mia could hardly contain her emotions. Today was everything. It was like the world had finally given her a breather, a moment to feel like everything, was going to be okay.
They reached the waiting cab, and she helped him inside before settling in next to him.
“So,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Tell me everything. What did you do today?”
Aiden grinned. “I made two friends, Mamal”
Mia gasped dramatically. “Two?! Oly my goodness, that’s amazing, baby!”
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He nodded proudly. “Their names are Jayden and Rose. Jayden let me to play with his iron man, Mama
“Wow, that was nice of him. And did you say thank you?”
“Yes! I said, ‘Thank you, Jayden!‘ just like you taught me.”
Mia placed a kiss on his forehead. “I’m so proud of you angel.”
He leaned into her, resting his head on her arm as the cab drove through the city.
“Miss me, Mama?” he asked quietly.
“More than anything in the world,” she said honestly.
He smiled, eyes fluttering a little as if the day was slowly catching up to him.
”
She watched him for a moment, her fingers brushing his curly hair from his forehead. Her heart felt full. After everything…all the setbacks, the heartbreak, the loneliness, they are here, safe, starting something new. Something better.
She has a job, a very good one. Tomorrow she is starting her work.
There is hope.
“Are you happy, Mama?” Aiden asked from nowhere. Catching her off guard, Mia stares at him for few seconds.
She smiles.
“I am baby”
Aiden hugs her tight then he whispers. “I’m happy too mummy”
Mia places kisses all over his forehead making him let out loud giggles.
Her phone dings, she immediately pulls it out to check. It was a message from an unknown number she clicks on it.
*Congratulations beautiful, let’s celebrate together*
Mia stares at the text.
Who the hell?
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