The rest of our stay was less dreadful because Mom and I agreed to put the nerve-wracking topic behind us. The decisions had been made, Mom told me about her side of stories, and now we just needed to go forward.

Still, Dean's sudden departure affected me for the rest of the weekend. When he broke the news that afternoon at the dock, my brain couldn't fully process it yet. My head probably was just overloaded after all these back-to-back dramas in my life. Or maybe I was also a little distracted with the almost-kissing part. All I knew was that I felt a hollow in my chest when I woke up the next morning.

Mom and I spent our Sunday in the water, canoeing, swimming, napping on the boat, and talking a lot. What I meant by a lot was literally non-stop chats. Mom was very eager to know about my current updates since our previous get-together plan ended up with me leaving the house after finding out she was divorcing Dad. Besides, she needed some distraction from this whole Parker fellow situation. So, I told her everything about what was new from my side.

Well, almost everything.

The only part I deliberately skipped was Blake Andrew. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her about my hot professor. It wasn't like we had a thing worth telling. A few unexpected encounters and some flirting didn't count, right? Fine, flirting with a drunk make-out session — which still didn't count. No matter what had happened, he would still be the professor and I the student. Nothing more, nothing less.

I had no idea what got into me lately. I'd been acting like a hormonal teenager who grabbed every boy within my reach as if being wanted by them boosted my ego. I even relived my childhood fixation on Dean! How did it happen?

Looking back, after getting over Dean, I had a normal teenage life. I went on my first date with a hot nerd in my class when I was fifteen. We shared our first kiss on our third date; it was awkward but kinda cute.

In high school, I dated several boys, but none of them became exclusive until I bumped into Ethan, a jock from another school in town. He was a typical jock you could find in teenage romance novels: a muscular figure that made you drool a river, a pair of ocean blue eyes that could drown you alive, and he had his way with words to make a girl swoon.

We met at a school party of our mutual friend. The story was pretty classic. We were introduced by our friend and BAM; love was instantly in the air. I'd sworn it was my first time falling for someone; at least that was what it felt like back then. We'd dated exclusively for several months before we moved to the next level.

People said the first sexual intercourse could be a bit painful. Heck, it was beyond painful. It was traumatic. I would say that not all those hot guys knew how to use their tools. Long story short, we didn't work. We ended it the way we started it: BAM.

I met Tom, the barista, in my first year at college. He was an ambitious guy and very serious about his future, yet very sweet and attentive to me. If Ethan was all about storms in the ocean, Tom was the calm and serene sea. Though our relationship lasted for a year.

Perhaps this long hiatus from dating life started to mess up with my head. Maybe I'd been that lonely all this time without even realizing it. I needed to start dating again.

***

Monday arrived, and it was time to drive back. After lunch, we began packing up and threw all our stuff back into the car. This time Mom insisted on driving, since I missed two wrong turns when I volunteered to be the driver last Friday.

As we drove out of the woods, back-to-back notifications chimed from our phones, creating a perfect choir. My phone had stopped buzzing a few seconds ago, but Mom's phone kept making the ping sound.

"Damn!" I laughed. "We only put them to sleep for two days, and those notifications made me feel like we just got out of a cave."

My mom laughed. "Looks like it."

"I can drive if you want, so you can check the messages. Maybe some of them are urgent?" I offered.

Mom seemed to consider the idea, but she shook her head. "It can wait. They know I won't be back before Tuesday. They should be able to make decisions by themselves by now. I hope." My mom groaned. "Gosh, I've been pampering them like babies."

"You never pampered me, and I'm your child, not just a subordinate for you." I sighed audibly just to tease her.

"Exactly. Because you're my only child, I couldn't afford to make the mistake."

That was true, though; she never pampered me. On the contrary, she was very serious about raising me to become a responsible and independent person. I remember the girls in my school once said that my mom was an intense person, which I agreed with. There were times I wished she would've been more laid back, like Katherine.

After spending the weekend with her and learning about her biggest fear, everything made sense now. Her obsession with perfection was just her reaction to her anxieties. She just wanted to make sure she'd reached certain standards to get accepted, to prove that she was enough for the world. I sincerely hoped the separation would give her more time for herself, to accept herself for whoever she was.

"Fair point," I mumbled as I took my phone out of my bag and lit up the screen.

28 chats from my work group.

1 message from Lea.

1 message from Dad.

1 Facebook friend request.

5 emails.

Once I made sure there was nothing urgent on my work-group chat, I opened my email. For some reason, I was holding my breath, but when I found they were all just promotional emails, my stomach dropped.

I hadn't been on Facebook for a while — thanks to my schedules — though sometimes I still received a friend request from some random horny dudes. The fact that Blake's cousin, Garry Harrison, was the very person who sent the request this time was quite intriguing. I pressed the confirmation button and made a note to stalk him later when I got home.

Then I checked my text messages.

Lea: Hey, are u having a good time there? When will u be back? We've got a party to go to on Friday. See ya!

Dad: Jenny, I wish I could explain everything and apologize to you personally. I just wanted to say I am to blame for everything that has happened. I failed to keep our family from falling apart. I hope you can forgive me one day. Love. Dad.

I had no idea how long I'd been staring at my screen, at my dad's message, when my mom asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Oh." I glanced at her. "It's a text from Dad."

"Oh." She paused for five seconds. "You should talk to him."

"I know. Will he be home this week?"

"No, I believe he said he would not be home this week."

"Do you know when he will be back?"

"No. You should ask him yourself. I don't keep track of his schedule anymore, you know."

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled. "I can't believe you guys still live under the same roof."

"Well, if anything, I'm the one who should be moving out by now," Mom replied calmly. "We sleep in different rooms and we don't interact because we're both barely home. So, why waste money on a hotel room?"

"I don't know. I just find it weird." I shrugged.

"The apartment will be ready in a few weeks. Hopefully."

Once we were back in our town, we made a quick stop at Mom's new apartment. It was exactly as she described: perfect size for a single person, but cozy enough if she wanted to invite a few friends over. Apparently, she bought it from her colleague at a good price, but it still needed a little work here and there.

The apartment was built in a minimalist style; a little too cold for my taste. It had a spacious living room and a tiny kitchen. A perfect portrayal of modern life where people don't invest their time in the kitchen anymore because of their hectic life at work. Unlike the master bedroom, my room was significantly smaller, but it had a small balcony facing the swimming pool, and I loved it already.

"Are you going to bring some furniture from home?" I asked, noticing that most rooms were still empty.

"I'm not sure yet," Mom replied. "I want to see first how we pull off the negotiation."

I walked to the sliding glass door that led to the main balcony. The terrace was at least five times bigger than the one at my flat. Well, my flat balcony was borderline inhuman, literally speaking.

"Unbelievable! They haven't fixed the smoke detector!" My mom exclaimed before striding to the front door. "Going to see if the building manager is here. I'll be right back!"

Once my mom disappeared behind the door, I headed to the marble kitchen counter, hopped on it, and retracted my phone from my jeans pocket. I was thinking of responding to Lea's message, but at the moment, lurking on Garry's Facebook timelines was more tempting.

After several scrolls through his posts, I stumbled upon a picture that made my heart leap. It was him.

The picture was taken at the beach. Blake was holding a beer, laughing as he looked at the camera. His hair was messy from the wind, falling over his forehead and his temple. The picture was taken not long time ago, but he looked so much younger, happier, and more carefree. Just by staring at his photo, the stupid butterflies inside my tummy announced their existence again.

After another quick scroll, I found Blake's face again. He was with Garry and a familiar blonde woman standing in the middle, Daphne. The three of them grinned to the camera as Daphne's arms hugged Blake's and Garry's waist, and Blake's arm was on Daphne's shoulders. My stomach sank.

The ping from the phone in my hand prompted me to jump in my spot, and then a notification from Facebook Messenger popped up on my screen. A message from Garry.

Hi everyone! It has been an outstanding three months with Bailey's team. Saying you're all amazing is an understatement of the year! Sadly, I will have to leave next week for my next task. You're all welcome to my farewell party on Friday, June 21st, starting from 3 PM. There will be a barbecue and pool party :) I'll send the address and other detailed info upon RSVP. Look forward to your confirmation! Garry.