Page 97 of My Only

And for the first time…

I wasn’t eager to go inside.

Because I knew I’d be going in alone.

“I know tonight wasn’t easy for you,” Aunt Laurie said gently. “Seeing your mama with someone new… I’m sure that was hard.”

“So hard, Aunt Laurie.” I dropped my head against the headrest, shutting my eyes. “But she looked so happy.”

I swallowed. “And I swear, that was the only thing that got me through dinner tonight.”

“She will always love your daddy, you hear me?”

I pressed my lips together, my eyes stinging.

I blinked fast, trying to keep the tears at bay.

But some emotions don’t listen to reason.

“But your mama… she held out for a long time, Ayla.”

“I know.”

“She was perfectly fine never knowing love again,” Aunt Laurie added. “That’s how hard she took your father’s passing.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “I know.”

“You know…” She sighed. “The hardest part of moving on isn’t learning how to let go. It’s knowing that moving forward doesn’t mean you’re leaving them behind.”

A tear slipped down my face, and I was quick to wipe it away.

“Now, I haven’t met Warren,” she continued. “But I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he seems like he gets it. He’s not trying to replace anyone. He respects the place your father still has in your mother’s heart. And for that, he’s all right with me.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

I cleared my throat a second later, forcing myself to push past the lump forming there. “Anyway, I just got home. Hassani had to work late, so… it’s just gonna be me tonight.”

Aunt Laurie sighed softly. “Call me if you need to talk some more, okay?”

I nodded again. “I will.”

As soon as I ended the call, I slumped against my seat’s headrest, fixing my eyes on the house in front of me.

Tears blurred my vision, making the once-crisp edges of our home waver like a mirage.

And then, just like that… I was crying. Really crying.

I couldn’t even tell if it was because life as I knew it was shifting—watching my mother find love again—or if it was because I felt like I was being left behind.

By her.

By Hassani.

HASSANI

Hours Later…

I turned the steering wheel and gave the car a little more gas as I rolled up to our house.

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