Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“But he chose someone else over you,” Alyx protested. “It’s over between you—-”
She shook her head stubbornly. “No. It’s not.” It can’t be. What she and Nik had was special. Every beat of her heart told her so, and she knew it to be true even if everyone thought she was being fanciful or delusional.
“I just need to wait,” Daria whispered. But what she really meant, what she was really doing, she knew she could never tell them.
Ever since she left Teleios, she had punished herself. Every day, she punished herself by not allowing herself to cry, to remember, or to even feel.
She kept punishing herself, believing with all her heart that if she suffered just enough, maybe God would take pity on her and give Daria another chance.
When Alyx and Yanna had left, it was only because Daria had promised to at least take a shower and leave the room so she wouldn’t drive herself crazy with misery.
Fair enough, she thought. She needed to keep her sanity intact anyway. If she were crazy, how would she know if her punishment had ended and she was given another chance?
Silly, silly thoughts, but Daria embraced each and every one of them. If she had allowed herself to be realistic, she would never have gotten this far without breaking down.
After taking a shower, Daria forced herself to go to her table and open her laptop. While she hadn’t any pending commissions, she did owe people emails. The idea of having to lie about why she hadn’t been able to answer them right away was depressing, almost tempting her to just click Select All and Delete on all unread messages.
Two clicks, and her inbox would have a fresh new start. The idea became even more tempting, but she managed not to give in. This was another punishment, she reminded herself doggedly. This was another way to get her second chance. Or her twenty-ninth. Or thirtieth. She wasn’t really sure how to count it.
Squaring her shoulders, Daria clicked on the first unopened message and started to read. Hours passed, but even when she had to stand up and shake some life back into her limbs, she still had two pages of unopened emails to read.
No quitting, Daria told herself. If she didn’t want Nik to quit on her, she couldn’t quit on this either.
So she went back to her seat and resumed clicking. When she moved to the last page of unread emails, the first one she clicked on was her reward.
It was a message offering her a job in New York City.
NYC...where Nik and Miranda lived.
Chapter Three
“Please follow me, Ms. Everest.”
Daria hastily stood up and followed the receptionist through a hallway designed to intimidate, with its vaulted ceiling and plush carpet.
It wasn’t like her to be nervous, but she was now, her heart doing its best to smash its way out of her chest.
Up, down, up, down, up, down—-
Please God, please, please help me get this job. Daria wiped clammy hands against the side of her pencil-cut skirt as she prayed.
The urge to cry came out of nowhere, taking her by surprise, and Daria hastily averted her gaze to the ceiling.
Don’t cry. You mustn’t cry. You shouldn’t cry. You don’t deserve to cry. She inhaled and exhaled several times as she recited the mantra in her mind.
She could have come here anytime, but what little pride Daria had left prevented her from doing so. She had played the role of Facebook stalker one too many times in the past. If she wanted her second chance with Nik to start right, then she couldn’t allow herself to make the same mistakes.
She couldn’t let her whole life revolve around love, not even if she wanted to. She could only allow herself to go to NYC if she had a legitimate reason, and this job was it.
A two-month stay, a styling challenge she hadn’t ever come across, and a bridezilla as a client according to the email.
Two months, Daria thought. She had two months to find Nik and Miranda, whose surnames she didn’t even know. She had tried searching for “Nik and Miranda” on the Internet but came up with nothing. Either those weren’t their real names, or they were rich enough to hide from Google.
“We’re here, Ms. Everest.” Turning towards her with a frosty smile, the receptionist opened a door for Daria.
“Thank you.” She tried to use a sunny smile to melt the other woman’s icy behavior but failed. Stepping past the receptionist with a gulp, Daria went inside the conference, heart thudding harder against her chest as she heard the receptionist pull the door close behind her.
Words from her usual spiel for introducing herself and talking about her work ran through her mind, and she mentally sighed in relief. Good. She still remembered what to say.