Eve stood in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her damp hair. The scent of lavender from her bath lingered in the air, calming her nerves ever so slightly. She stared at herself for a long moment, then exhaled slowly.
A break. She needed a break from everything.
Her phone buzzed on the dresser. Greg, her manager, was calling.
She answered, propping the phone against a few books so she could continue drying her hair.
"Hey, Greg," she said, her voice still raspy from exhaustion.
"Morning, Eve. I've got your flight details. You're set to leave for Chicago this afternoon at 12:30 a.m. Everything's confirmed. You sure you don't want me to extend the trip? A week might not be enough after what you've been through."
She let out a small chuckle, shaking her head as she towel-dried her hair. "A week will do for now. I just... I need to breathe, Greg. Chicago's home. If I feel like staying longer, I'll let you know."
Greg's voice softened. "I get it. Sometimes home is the only place that makes sense."
The mention of Chicago tugged at her heartstrings. The sprawling countryside where she spent her teen years, where everything felt simpler, softer. A place where the chaos of her current life hadn't yet reached.
"I miss it, Greg," she admitted, a distant smile tugging at her lips. "The countryside, the open sky. It's been years since I've been back."
Greg smiled through the video call, his expression understanding. "Well, you deserve it. I'll handle everything while you're gone. Just focus on recharging. But listen—don't think about work. I've got this."
"Thank you, Greg." She sighed, feeling lighter already. "I owe you."
"Nah, just bring me back some of that famous deep-dish pizza," he quipped, making her laugh.
After ending the call, Eve stood at the window for a moment, gazing out at the city skyline. It was suffocating. Her heart craved the serenity of the countryside, the fields, and the warmth of familiarity. Chicago. That was home. She needed to see it, feel it.
Clara entered the room, her usual no-nonsense attitude firmly in place. "So, you're really going, huh? Leaving me here alone to deal with the mansion for a whole week?"
Eve rolled her eyes, already anticipating the dramatics. "It's not like I'm leaving forever Clara."
Clara pursed her lips and placed a hand on her hip. "You better not be. Who's gonna keep you in line? You're always running off somewhere."
Eve couldn't help but smile at Clara's dramatic concern, even though her words were lighthearted. "I'll be back before you know it."
Clara dramatically sprinkled some water from a glass onto Eve's arm. "Yeah, yeah. Don't forget to moisturize, and don't you dare skip your bath routine just because you're on a 'vacation.'" She said it in that exaggerated way she did when she was pretending to be overly strict, but Eve could see the affection behind her sharp words.
Clara began bustling around the room, gathering Eve's essentials for the trip. She packed her skincare items, her favorite robe, and even a few snacks for the road.
"I'm gonna miss you, ya know? Just don't come back a total stranger, alright?" Sitting on the edge of the bed, Clara gently massaged her scalp with a bit of scented oil.
"I won't," Eve replied, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into Clara's familiar touch. "I just need this."
"I know, honey," Clara murmured, her gruffness melting into something softer as she continued her work. "Chicago's your home. Sometimes, we all need to go back."
When her bags were finally packed, Eve stood before the full-length mirror, dressed in a soft floral dress, a wide-brimmed hat resting on her freshly dried hair. She looked... different. Lighter. Like someone about to embark on something important.
Clara gave her a once-over, crossing her arms. "You look good, kid. Almost makes me wanna come with you."
Eve smirked, adjusting her hat. "Almost?"
"Yeah, but someone's gotta hold down the fort. Besides, you'd be lost without me."
With a final smile and a tight hug from Clara, Eve descended the grand staircase. Her driver was already waiting by the car, loading her bags into the trunk.
As she slid into the back seat, Clara shouted after her from the doorway. "Don't forget to call, okay? And eat! And take care of yourself!"
Eve waved out the window as the car pulled away, the towering mansion shrinking in the distance. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she was heading toward something that mattered. Something that could heal the wounds she didn't even know were there. The driver took her toward the airport, the city blurring behind her.
~~~~~~~~~
Eve sat by the airplane window, her head leaning lightly against the cool glass. The hum of the engines provided a steady background noise, but it couldn't drown out the whirlwind of thoughts tumbling around in her mind.
She hadn't told Nathan about her trip to Chicago—didn't see the point, really. Their relationship had long passed the stage where she felt the need to keep him informed about her comings and goings. If he found out through Clara or the other house staffs, he might bother to ask why she was leaving so suddenly, but she doubted it. And even if he did, would it even matter?
She exhaled slowly, the tension creeping into her shoulders. There was so much she didn't want to think about. So much she wanted to leave behind in that mansion: the pain of her second miscarriage, the conversation on the terrace last night. All of it felt like a burden too heavy to carry any longer.
But it was easier said than done, to push those thoughts away. It was as if her brain was hardwired to replay the worst moments on a loop whenever she found herself alone, drowning in the "what ifs" and "should haves" of her life. Not this time, she told herself.
With a deep breath, Eve pulled out a book from her carry-on bag—a well-worn paperback that had become her favorite over the years. It was a book about healing, about finding yourself again after being lost in life's storms. The author was someone she admired. She flipped through the pages, landing on a quote she had highlighted a long time ago, though now, it seemed to resonate even more deeply:
"You cannot heal in the same place that broke you. To truly find peace, you must leave the familiar behind, even if it terrifies you."
Eve let out a small, bitter laugh under her breath. How true that was. For years, she had clung to the life she had built with Nathan, hoping that things would somehow mend themselves. But maybe healing wasn't about waiting for things to fix themselves. Maybe it was about walking away to find a new place, a new way to exist.
She sighed and turned her gaze toward the window, watching the clouds drift by in a soft, endless sea of white. There was something peaceful about being so high up, detached from everything happening below.
In the sky, there was no history, no pain, just the present moment. The simplicity of it all made her heart feel a little lighter.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't rushing to meet a deadline, hurrying to make it to some meeting, or feeling trapped in a world she no longer recognized. This —this flight, this moment—was for her. Just her.
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she thought about how different this trip felt compared to her others. She had traveled for work, for appearances, for anything but herself. Always so caught up in the hustle, that she had forgotten what it felt like to simply be. To live. To breathe.
But not this time.
Eve closed the book and set it on her lap, letting her eyes wander across the endless expanse of sky outside. Her thoughts softened, easing away from the chaos of the past few weeks.
She hadn't felt this alive in a long time, not since she was a teenager, roaming freely in the countryside of Chicago, where the air smelled like fresh grass and open fields, where the world felt bigger and kinder. She could almost taste that freedom again, the nostalgia wrapping around her like a warm blanket.