She thought I was alone
Author's pov
Sadie stood in front of her mirror without any makeup. She had been standing there for a while, lost in her thoughts, while Justin assumed she was getting ready as they were about to go to the airport. Her gaze was fixed on herself in the mirror, but her mind was far away.
"What kind of insults will I receive from my mum when she comes out of the house and opens the door to see me," she wondered.
"Darling!" Justin walked into her room and found her standing there. Sadie was unaware that someone had entered her room.
"What are you doing? I thought you were getting ready," Justin said, and his voice startled Sadie, causing her to move to the right to regain her balance and looked at Justin.
"Oh, I'm sorry. But I've been waiting for you in the sitting room. Aren't we going anymore?" He checked his wristwatch. "We have less than an hour to get to the airport. I want to make sure we travel today.”
"I'm afraid," Sadie said softly. "I don't know how my mum will react. I know her very well and what she can do."
"Whatever happens, you've done your best. The time will come when your mum will realize that our decision to be together was the best for us. Let's go." Justin went over and embraced Sadie, feeling her heartbeat.
"Don't panic, I'll always be there for you."
Justin and Sadie left the house and got into the car, driving away towards the airport. Time was running out, and Justin increased the speed of the car, reaching the airport just five minutes before the scheduled departure time. Thankfully, Sadie had already booked online, so the payment process was quick. The moment they got to the airport, they joined the other passengers.
As they sat on the plane, Sadie remembered the first time Justin came with his daughter to pick her up at this same airport. She closed her eyes in her seat as the plane took off, reminiscing about the warm handshake from Justin. There was something she would never forget when Justin asked her,
"Do you have another name?" He must have reasoned that this was the voice that spoke to him at the hotel room.
For the first time, Sadie smiled to herself, her eyes still closed.
The flight lasted less than two hours, and since Sadie hadn't informed her mum about her arrival, she wasn't expecting anyone to welcome her at the airport. A few minutes later, they both left the airport and took a taxi at the airport.
"No. 7, St. Maria Estate," Sadie told the driver, and they settled into the back seat of the shiny blue car. When Justin noticed that Sadie hadn't really been communicating with him, he tried to strike up a conversation.
"Darling, how do you feel coming home today?"
Sadie smiled and glanced at the rearview mirror to see if the driver was looking at her.
"I'm so happy. I never thought we would be here today. It's something I will always treasure. It's actually been a long time since I left here," Sadie expressed with joy.
Justin moved his right hand and placed it on Sadie's lap, gently caressing it.
"Everything will be fine, it just takes time," Justin reassured her, leading Sadie to nod and force a smile.
As the car approached the house, Sadie's heart pounded faster. She looked at her right wrist, where she wore the hand chain, and tried to position it close to her chest so that it would be the first thing her mum noticed. Hopefully, seeing the hand chain would renew their mum-daughter relationship.
Like all journeys, this one had an end. Finally, the car stopped in front of the house, and Sadie's mind went blank as she felt her breath catch. Justin was the first to step out of the car, dressed in a navy blue suit. He walked to Sadie's door and opened the car door. But that wasn't what worried Sadie.
"No good things come easily. Everything will be alright. I know you love your mum, and you're doing the right thing," Justin reassured her again, holding her hand as they walked towards the house.
Surprisingly, Sadie's neighbor, Fiona, spotted Sadie and Justin first. She stood at her door, watching them in secret.
As they approached the door, Justin said,
"Don't worry, let me be the one to knock."
Justin knocked on the door, but no one came to open it.
"Has my mum seen me on the little camera in front of the door? Last time I checked, that camera wasn't working anymore," Sadie wondered. Their neighbor, Fiona, who had been watching, came out and greeted them.
"Hi," Fiona waved her right hand at both Sadie and Justin. They both waved back, and Sadie recognized her.
"Mrs Fiona, nice to meet you," Sadie said, extending her hand. They shook hands.
"Is this your dad?" Fiona whispered in Sadie's ear with excitement in her eyes, as the neighborhood knew about Sadie's story.
"Oh no, this is Mr. Justin, he's my fiancé."
"Nice to meet you," Fiona stretched her hand, shaking Justin's hand while smiling at him. Before she left, she whispered in Sadie's ear again, saying,
"Because Leo failed you in your previous relationship, you've chosen an older man," she smiled.
These words from Fiona didn't provoke or irritate Sadie. Her mind was preoccupied with what she would expect from her mum.
After knocking three times, Justin was compelled to ask,
"Are you sure your mum is inside? Why don't you call her phone number?"
"She won't answer if I call her," Sadie replied.
"Then text her, or do you have the keys to this door?”
"I do," Sadie replied.
"Then open it. I'm here to see your mum. Regardless of her opinion of our relationship, I will respect it, and I will explain to her how being with you has made me feel complete," Justin said.
Sadie couldn't help but smile upon hearing those words, "to feel complete with you."
She took out the key and opened the door, revealing a quiet house. The setup of the sitting room made Justin question,
"Are you sure your mum has been in this house?"
"Hmm... yes," she replied, entering the house to check her mum's room.
"Mom!" Sadie knocked, her heart pounding despite the apparent emptiness of the house. She took out her phone and called her mum's number. It rang and rang, but her mum refused to answer. So, Sadie decided to send her a text message.
"Hello, sweet mum. I am at home."
As short as the message was, Sadie's phone immediately started ringing in the next five seconds, leaving her shocked and amazed. Her eyes widened, and she rushed to meet Justin.
"My mum called me back after I sent her a message," she exclaimed.
"Answer it then," Justin gestured, motioning towards Sadie's phone. Sadie took a deep breath and just as she was about to answer the call, it ended. She looked at Justin's face in disappointment.
"I hope she calls back," he said, while Sadie pressed her lips tightly and nodded.
Sadie and Justin hadn't taken their eyes off each other when Sadie's phone rang again. Her hand started shaking, thinking that her mother might suspect she was alone in the house.
"Hello, Mum," she finally answered the call.
"I can see that you want my happiness. You've done the right thing. How could you date the father of your friend? How could you lie down with him? Your decision to leave him has made me so proud of you..."
Sadie didn't know what to say. She could hear her mum praising her for leaving Justin, but what she didn't know was that Justin was right beside her.
"Mum, please, can I tell you something? I need to…”
"You want to do what?" Her mum asked.
"Use the restroom," she blurted out without thinking and promptly ended the call. She turned to Justin, her face filled with worry, and said,
"How am I going to tell my mum that you're here with me in this house? She thought I was alone."
"Really?" Justin asked.
"Yes. She's speaking as if she's won me over. What should I do?" Sadie paced around the sitting room, knowing that revealing Justin's presence would cause a lot of issues with her mum.
"I suggest you tell your mum that I came here with you," Justin advised and he put his hands on her shoulders.
"I don't think I can do that," Sadie nervously clasped her hands together and pulled herself away from Justin's hands.
"You need to tell her. Or give me the phone, and I'll tell her," Justin insisted.
"What? No. I can't," Sadie protested fearfully. They continued discussing what to do when Sadie's phone rang again.
"Your mum is calling, I guess," Justin remarked, and Sadie looked at the screen and saw her mum's phone number.
"She's the one calling," Sadie said.
"Pick up the call and face this head-on," Justin encouraged her with his voice and demeanor. Sadie eventually answered the call, but before she could say anything, her mum quickly spoke up.
"Hello, sweetheart. You don't need to worry. I'm on my way home. I know you must be mentally stressed for what Daisy did to you publicly. I'm coming to prepare your favorite meal and take you shopping."
"I'm not..." Sadie tried to interrupt her, but her mum quickly said again.
“I know what you want to say,” and she ended the call abruptly.
"She just ended the call," Sadie said, and was looking at Justin with her lips slightly parted.
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