Page 33 of New Growth
I forced a smile, but it wavered. “Nothing. Just thinking.”
Esther tilted her head. “E, come on. You were just jumping around a second ago.”
I exhaled slowly, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “Today was supposed to be my wedding day.”
Silence blanketed the room.
Esther’s expression softened with sympathy, and Hope’s usual sharpness dulled.
“I’m so sorry,” Esther said gently, reaching for my hand.
Hope’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Damn. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine,” I said quickly, though my voice cracked. “Honestly, I’m okay. I just… I hadn’t thought about it until now.”
I could’ve been living an entirely different life today if I hadn’t walked in on Johnathan and Ryan. My brain almost wondered if I would’ve been happier if I hadn’t discovered it, but I pushed the thought out of my head, refusing to acknowledge it.
After a moment, Esther said, “You know, maybe this could be a good thing.”
I blinked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Starting fresh,” she said simply. “You’re not tied down to anyone or anything. You can build something entirely your own. And if that means opening a salon in California, then so be it. Do it.”
A lump formed in my throat, but it wasn’t entirely from sadness. There was a strange sense of liberation in her words.
“So,” Hope dragged, brushing nonexistent lint from her designer jeans and obviously over my hesitance. “Are you in?”
“In?” I echoed.
“For the salon,” she rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me beg, Elliot.”
Please take this money and do something for yourself.
Daddy’s words play again in my mind.
I will do this for myself but in his honor.
A laugh bubbled out of me, unexpected but genuine. “I’m in.”
“Good,” Hope said, satisfied. “Because I’ve already made a group chat with my friend to set up a meeting.”
Elevations.
Twoyears.
It felt like a lifetime since I stepped off that plane in Thailand, my life in pieces, and my heart still raw from the betrayal that had shattered everything I thought I knew. But now, as I stood in the middle of my own salon, looking around at the space I had built with my own hands, it felt like I was at the height of my new life.
I had made it.
EL’evationswasn’t just a salon; it was a manifestation of everything I had fought for and all my father wanted for me. Something I could have for myself that he gifted me, and the name was given in honor of him.
My method, which is tailored to every curl pattern, had taken the beauty industry by storm.
I couldn’t believe it.
Magazines, blogs, celebrities, and even influencers praise my work. People flew from all over the world to book an appointment with me. But none of this would have been possible without the incredible team I had assembled around me.
London was the braider—her fingers moved with such precision that you couldn’t help but watch in awe. She was a quiet force, letting her work speak for itself. I’d met her a year ago when I was still setting up the salon, and from the moment we connected, I knew she was someone I needed by my side. Her passion for hair was contagious, and her work was impeccable.
