My last words to Caiden Smith were that I hoped he choked to death, but I didn't mean it literally.

We dated for a couple of months but it didn't work out. To be fair, I had stopped thinking about him after the first half of my Ben & Jerry's ice cream tub, and I hadn't heard from him for over a year. Until yesterday, when I got a call from his lawyer.

In his serious business-like tone, he informed me that Caiden had stomach cancer and that he passed away. He mentioned something about his will and how I needed to be there when he read it to the family, but my mind was still wrapping up on the fact that Caiden passed away. He might have been a douchebag, but I didn't wish him death. I always hoped he'd fall in love and his girlfriend would cheat on his lying ass, but I'd never wish something like cancer on him.

It was probably a mistake. I couldn't be in his will. We weren't even friends. Plus, Caiden didn't love me. Hell, I hadn't been in love with him either. I did like him too much for my own good, but I was glad I found out about him sleeping around before I actually fell in love. Granted, I wished I hadn't caught him in the act with my neighbor, but I always thought that it just wasn't meant to be.

Going to his funeral didn't seem right. I was just one of his ex-girlfriends, one of many, probably. Yet, Mr. Williams, Caiden's lawyer, stressed out that I needed to go, and that it was one of Caiden's last wishes. Man. He knew how to make people feel guilty. Despite Caiden being Caiden, I was intrigued by this whole scheme. Plus, I also felt bad for him. Cancer was a bitch. No one deserved to suffer through it.

I agreed reluctantly, and less than five minutes later I had a plane ticket on my email. The man was efficient. Not that I would have expected less from someone that worked with Caiden. The guy was a womanizer, but he was also a brilliant businessman and a great chef. He owned one of the most popular and ridiculously expensive restaurants in Los Angeles, the Mea Culpa. That's how we met.

After we broke up, my life changed radically. Not because of the breakup, but because my best friend passed away.

Losing Amy made me realize that life is short. The first thing I did was move closer to my parents in Missoula, Montana. Spending time with your loved ones was precious. I also quitted my job and started a cooking blog, something I've been wanting to do since forever. I could do it on my own time, under my own terms. Good thing I'd saved some money, enough to get me going, because while my blog wasn't doing bad,  I couldn't call it a success either. If things didn't change, I'll be broke in less than six months, and as much as I loved my parents, I didn't plan to move in with them again.

As I printed the ticket, I noticed that the flight back was scheduled for a week later. Ugh. That was probably a mistake too. I needed to talk to Mr. Williams about it. I couldn't afford an entire week's stay in a hotel.

The plane took almost three hours to arrive in Los Angeles. I dragged my luggage behind me as I walked out of the airport, and the warmth from the Californian sun caressed my cheeks.

The circumstances of my return were awry. I had no idea why Caiden wanted me here, but it felt nice to come back after so long.

My life didn't feel good enough when I lived here. In competition with others for the perfect life. It was too much. After Amy, I felt like I needed to enjoy life. No one knows how much you have left.

I took a cab to the funeral home where Mr. Williams had summoned me. It was a modern building, so like Los Angeles. I climbed up the front stairs of the building while knots formed in my stomach. I felt like a complete outsider. Not because I was coming from Montana, but because I hadn't seen Caiden in over a year and I felt undeserving of all this.

I stopped and looked behind me. Even though the cab was gone, I could still leave; but then I thought of everything Caiden had arranged to make sure that I came, and I sighed.

For whatever reason, I sort of owed it to him.

"Let's do this," I murmured to myself at the same time I pushed open the doors. I expected a place brimming with people, but it was almost empty. The scent of roses enveloped me as I tried not to make noise with my heels while I moved across the wooden floor.

A bald man approached me as I took a seat, not far from the front row. Soft music played in the background as he sat beside me. "Ms. Hall, thank you for being here." He extended his hand. "I'm John Williams, Mr. Smith's lawyer." We shook hands as he added, "nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." I almost asked him why I had to be here, but it didn't feel like the place nor the time to do so.

As if he knew what I was thinking, he smiled at me. "We'll have a small meeting soon and I'll be able to explain you everything." I nodded, grateful to know the purpose of my visit.

I glanced through the empty room frowning. Caiden was a well-known Chef and God knows that he had many friends. His parties were always loaded with people.

There was a little boy sitting on the other side of the room. I felt bad for him. Funerals sucked. Literally. They always left you feeling drained. He didn't look more than six. He resembled to Caiden in a way. They both had big eyes, and they shared the hairstyle too. Spiky. His was darker though.

A moment later, a guy in a gray suit sat next to him. His hair was as dark as the boy's, but he had soft waves instead. He passed an arm around the little boy and whispered something on his ear that made the kid smile; but when the man looked up, I was taken aback for a moment. He was Caiden.

He was his brother, probably. They looked so much alike. He had the same caramel eyes and the strong cheekbones. I wondered if he had the same lopsided smile that always managed to send my heart in a frenzy. His gaze met mine, and he clenched his jaw before glancing away.

Weird. It was as if he knew who I was, and I don't think that Caiden talked about me to his family. A pang of guilt played in my chest. We hadn't been a couple for long.

Two hours later, Mr. Williams drove me to his office. Caiden's look alike was already there when we got in. I expected other family members, but Mr. Williams closed the door behind me. He sat in front of the desk and glanced at us. "Ms. Ella Hall, this is Liam Smith, Caiden's brother."

Liam bobbed his head, but he had a stoic expression on his face. Someone doesn't like me. "I'm really sorry for your loss."

His eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw. "Thank you." Okay. He really doesn't like me.

Mr. Williams cleared his throat. "Caiden asked me to summon you today because he's leaving you both his restaurant, the Mea Culpa."

My eyes widened. What. The. Effing. Hell.

Was Caiden insane?

"There's only one condition. You can't sign the papers until next week." He gazed at Liam. "And he also asked you to accommodate Ms. Hall until then."

"Why would I do that?" Liam crossed his arms.

Mr. Williams smiled sadly as he raised his index finger. He took a small paper out of the manila folder, along with two more envelopes. "He knew you would say that." He passed him the little note before placing the envelopes in front of us. My name was scribbled in one of them. "This is for you too but I can't give it to you until next week. I presume it explains Caiden's decision to leave you both all in equal parts."

Liam's bushy brows appeared as one as he creased them together. "Of course Caiden would do something like this," he muttered annoyed.

Caiden Smith left me half of his restaurant. Why?

"I can't take this," I blurted out to the old man sitting on the other side of the table.

Mr. William leaned back on his chair. "Well, Mr. Smith here," he gestured to Liam, "won't be able to take possession of the restaurant until you sign the papers. What you do with the restaurant after that, is up to you."

"So," Liam leaned forward to the desk, rubbing his forehead with one hand, "Just to be clear, my brother wants me to invite Ms. Hall to my house for a week?"

"Yes." Mr. Williams answered in a serious tone.

My heart pounded loudly in my ears. "I'm not staying in his house!" I interjected appalled.

"Then neither of you can sign the papers."

Biting my lip, I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Caiden's only condition to give you full possession of his assets is that you spend one week in Liam's house."

"John. This is fucked up." Liam's tone was clipped.

Mr. Williams shrugged. "I'm just the messenger, Liam." I was about to protest again, when he added, "Those were Caiden's last wishes." Caiden's last wishes. Damn it.

Liam rolled his jaw before looking at me. "I'm leaving in ten minutes. We'll meet you at the door." The chair screeched as he stood up and stormed out of the room.

You have no idea how much I've been dying to share this story with you guys!!! I've thought about it for over a year. It's a short-story, with eight parts, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I loved writting it!

Love you all!!