“Little girl, you still have me,” Philip said, giving the back of my head a gentle pat before pulling his hand away.


    I hadn’t cried until that moment, but suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down without warning. I couldn’t stop them, no matter how hard I tried. I knew I couldn’t let these tears fall-they would give me away.


    I swallowed hard, trying to hold them back, but the more I tried, the worse it got. I turned my face away, unwilling to let him see me like this.


    Philip’s hand returned to the top of my head, lightly tousling my hair. “It’s not shameful to cry in front of me, you know. Have you forgotten?”


    He’d said that to me before. And now, he said it again. But this time, his words tore through thest remnants of my pride. I turned away from him, quickly wiping my tears.


    Maybe sensing how I felt, he took my suitcase. “I’ll put this in the car for you.”


    He left, and I covered my face with my hands, letting the tears flow freely.


    When I went downstairs, Peter and Michelle were still in the kitchen, busy with preparations. Their joy over Philip’s return was clearly stronger than their worry about losing me as their daughter-inw.


    I didn’t say anything, not wanting them to see my red eyes or to be pressured into staying.


    Philip was waiting by the car, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.


    When he saw me approach, a faint smile tugged at his lips. “Do you want me to give you a ride?”


    I shook my head, forcing a small smile. “You haven’t been back in four years. The city’s changed. You’ll probably get lost.”


    Philip raised an eyebrow. “Really?”


    I kept my gaze on the ground, not wanting him to see the redness in my eyes. “I’m leaving now. I’ll take you out to eat sometime.”


    He didn’t say anything. I opened the car door and climbed in. Just as I was about to start the engine, his hand rested on the window.


    “Where are you staying? Can you tell me?” he asked softly.


    I gripped the steering wheel tighter and stayed silent.


    He gave a quiet, almost resignedugh and withdrew his hand. “Take care on the road.”


    I drove off. As the car pulled out of the driveway, I nced at the rearview mirror, watching the house fade into the distance.


    The tears came again, this time uncontrobly. ‘Goodbye, the home I’ve known for ten years. Goodbye, my love. Goodbye, the person I used to be.’


    Maybe Philip had talked to Michelle, because she didn’t call after that.


    I arrived at my ce, unloaded my luggage, tidied up a bit, and went to bed.


    I slept through the night, and when I woke up the next morning to the soft glow of the rising sun, I opened the window and whispered to myself, ‘Everything starts anew from today!


    Myra was ready for a busy month ahead since the deadline for the handover was drawing near.


    “Double-check the arrival times for the two main contacts tomorrow,” I told her.


    “Got it, Zoe. One group arrives at 10 AM, and the other at 2 PM. I’ve already booked them into the nearest Holiday Inn,” she replied, her logistics always on point.


    “Book one more room,” I added.


    “Anyone elseing?” Myra asked.


    “No, just the two of us. We’ll need to stay overnight because the lighting setup has to be tested in the evening for the best effect. We’ll probably be working through the night, and it’ll be too inconvenient to go home,” I exined.


    Myra gave me a thumbs-up. “Zoe, you really thought of everything.”


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