Fara dragged herself through the large house she hadn't set foot in for months. The air was thick with the scent of tuberose flowers displayed in an ivory vase. Above her, a grand chandelier dangled, its crystal drops swaying slightly as the breeze from outside swept in with her.
Had it been four months since she was last here? Maybe even six. She vaguely remembered visiting when her mom was unwell.
As the only child in the Genio family, Fara was considered a bit of a rebel. She had insisted on living on her own after she started working, despite her mother's teary pleas for her to stay. Her mom had even promised she wouldn't be as overbearing as she had been during Fara's college days. But Fara was adamant, swearing she'd visit every week.
That promise had faded. Weekly visits turned biweekly, then monthly, until, eventually, she hadn't come by for months.
This Mediterranean-style mansion with its European touches had been her home since before she was born, yet it somehow felt foreign now.
She paused in front of a tall, ornate mirror framed in gold. Memories of her younger self, standing here in her school uniform, picking out her outfits, came flooding back.
As Fara stared at her reflection, she heard a familiar voice from inside.
"Faraaaa!"
Her mom, Melinda, rushed over, practically sprinting, and threw her arms around Fara.
"Where have you been, my girl?" she said, squeezing Fara tightly.
Melinda didn't even give her a chance to answer, pulling her close and kissing her cheeks repeatedly out of pure excitement.
"I was worried sick when Sean called! I was ready to come get you, but you told me not to!" Her mom pulled back, holding Fara's shoulders and searching her face with teary eyes.
"I'm fine, Mom, just skipped a few meals," Fara replied, forcing a smile.
Fara tried to be as cheerful as possible. She could only imagine how concerned her parents must've been after getting a call like that.
"Come inside, come on. I made a whole feast for you! Dad's been waiting ages," Melinda insisted, gently nudging her toward the family room.
"I made your favorites, sweet and sour shrimp, cap cay with lots of tofu, and spicy beef with green chili. You've got to eat up, okay?" Melinda chattered on about her day's activities as she led Fara inside.
Fara? She simply nodded along, letting her mother's words wash over her. She was actually still full from lunch with Ziggy.
Yeah, that Ziggy. Her quirky coworker had strong-armed her into lunch, and since she'd already promised, she'd reluctantly gone along with it. Ziggy could be just as talkative as Melinda, which had been a bit much considering Fara's mood. Who wouldn't be on edge after finding out your boyfriend was planning to marry someone else?
But Ziggy was persistent. He had even insisted on waiting around for half an hour while she took her meds. To break the awkward silence, she asked about the ad project he was working on, which led to an animated, in-depth explanation.
Despite his antics, Ziggy actually knew his stuff. When Fara asked if he was facing any issues, he'd laid out his solutions with surprising finesse.
"You came alone?" A deep voice broke through her thoughts, interrupting Melinda's excited chatter.
"Yeah," Fara replied, walking over to her dad, who was reading a newspaper.
Lowering the paper, Sultan Genio, the family patriarch, looked over at her with one raised eyebrow to the one person in her life with as much say over her as her DNA.
"Where's Sean? Didn't he bring you here?" he asked as she kissed his hand.
"Dad, please, can we skip the Sean questions today?" Fara said wearily, slumping onto the big, comfy couch.
Sultan's thick eyebrows arched slightly higher. He sensed something was off, but he held back from prying further.
"You're fighting with Sean, aren't you?" Melinda cut in from the dining table, not missing a beat as she arranged the dishes near the pool area.
Fara fell silent, unsure when or how she should break the news to them. She hadn't figured out how to face it herself, especially since she had once been so sure Sean was the one.
"Come on, Dad, Fara," Melinda called out, breaking the tension. "Let's eat. Dinner's ready."
Under the moonlight, by the pool with its gentle ripples from the wind, surrounded by soft, glowing lamps and candles on the dinner table, the family gathered for a quiet meal together.
Dinner was peaceful. Fara sat in silence, savoring her mom's cooking, occasionally glancing at her parents across from her. She couldn't help but notice how they'd aged since she last saw them. Though it wasn't dramatic, there was something in the fine lines on their faces that made her realize how much time had slipped by.
A pang of guilt crept in, squeezing her chest. She'd spent so little time with them, too focused on work, fun, and Sean. But now, after Sean had left her, she felt an overwhelming clarity. No matter what, there was no place like home, no comfort like her parents. She'd given so much of herself to Sean, and in the end, he'd simply tossed her aside.
"Don't you guys want to go on a vacation or something?" Fara asked after finishing her meal, breaking the comfortable silence.
Her parents looked at her, clearly surprised.
"No, your dad is always busy," her mom replied, not missing a chance for a light jab.
"And your mom's busy too, with her endless social clubs," Sultan countered, adding his own playful tease.
Fara gave a small smile. They were still the same, still bickering like cats and dogs, and she loved it.
"Let's go on vacation, then," she suggested, catching her parents even more off guard.
Her mom immediately set down her fork and dabbed at the fine lines near her lips with a napkin.
"Did I hear you right?" Melinda asked, eyes widening. "You mean us?"
"Yes, us," Fara nodded. "You, Dad, and me. How about Santorini?" she proposed.
The sea had always called to Fara. She loved the sun, the waves, the sheer peace of the shore. Back in college, whenever she was stuck with a paper, she'd escape to their beach house in Bali. There, with the sound of the waves, ideas would come as easily as dolphins leaping through the water.
Her dad smiled, feeling a surge of warmth. It was rare for Fara to think of them, and he cherished this unexpected moment. In truth, he felt guilty for giving her the responsibility of running one of the family companies, inadvertently robbing her of the carefree Fara he used to know.
"When can you even get away from work?" he asked, not wanting to let the moment slip.
Her mom gave him a puzzled look, but Sultan gently patted her leg under the table, signaling her to just let it be.
Fara thought for a second. When it came to schedules, she was helpless without her assistant, Bonita.
"I'll check with Bonita," she replied casually.
Sultan snapped his fingers in approval. "Good! Just call me right away."
Fara nodded, agreeing, and felt a rush of warmth fill her chest.
After dinner, her parents left her to unwind alone by the pool, a ritual of hers. She sat by the edge, dipping her feet into the water, letting the coolness relax her.
It had been a long day. A rough day. A lucky day, somehow.
The memory of Sean telling her he was going to marry someone else still echoed in her mind. The ache in her chest was real, but meeting kind souls like Ziggy and spending time with her parents had eased that pain. The sadness wasn't so raw now, even as she absentmindedly scrolled through a picture of her and Sean on the yacht he'd rented for her birthday last year.
Her thumb lingered on his face in the photo, wondering how he could have turned away from her so easily.
Then, her phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number. She quickly swiped to answer, a small part of her hoping—despite herself—that it was Sean.
"Hello?"