Five years ago, her father threw her out without even giving her a listening ear. Now, five years later, she was back. But she wasn't alone. She was back with her son, Cyrus.
Although the pregnancy had made life more difficult for her, but the moment she held her newborn son in her arms, she found a new purpose for her existence.
"Mummy, look, it's Aunty Sandy," Cyrus said to his mother, jumping happily. He saw Sandra heading their way from the airport's entrance.
Looking at her very excited son, she smiled. The joy and happiness she felt every time she saw him was something to be studied.
"Yes, it's Auntie Sandy," she replied with a wide smile, staring at her sister, who stretched out her hands to Cyrus.
Cyrus immediately ran toward Sandra, hugging her. As she watched her son run towards Sandra her heart swelled with pride.Selene couldn't thank her enough for all her support and help.
If not for her sister, who found ways to see her outside the country under the pretense of work, Selene didn't know if she would have been able to carry Cyrus's pregnancy to full term.
Selene had no intention of returning to her home country, not even after Sandra informed her that their father was worried about her disappearance. She made herself strictly clear about keeping her whereabouts and the birth of her child a secret from their father, which Sandra respected.
Not even when her father remarried two years after she left the country did she bother to contact him.
Being back in the country brought back so many memories from the past. She remembered how the whole internet had criticized her, not caring about her side of the story or feelings.
She was labeled a "runaway bride who returns from the club after leaving the groom at the altar."
Now that she was back, she had no intention of letting her father know of her return, nor would he ever know of his grandchild. That was his punishment for abandoning his daughter.
"Earth to Selene," Sandra said, dragging her back from her thoughts.
She hadn't realized when Sandra and Cyrus had gotten to her spot.
"Mummy, are you okay?" Cyrus asked, looking very concerned.
He, too, had noticed his mother's mood change the moment they landed at the airport.
"I'm fine, sweetie," Selene responded with a forced smile.
"I know you don't want to be here, but you have to try and forget the past. You need this job. If not for your sake, think about Cyrus," Sandra said, looking over at Cyrus, who was busy playing with their luggage and rolling it around by now.
"Your son deserves a comfortable life and stability. This promotion will give you that, and I know you said you wouldn't do it. I still think you should look for the boy's father. He deserves to know about his son," Sandra added.
"I'm not putting that kind of responsibility on a stranger after five years; we've talked about this," Selene responded, her voice laced with anger. "Cyrus is my son. I carried him for nine months, and I will take full responsibility for him," she added, looking over at Cyrus. Her expression softened.
"It's just this place, Sandy; it has a way of bringing out the bad side of me. I thought I was never coming back here again, but somehow, I feel dragged right back to where it all started," Selene said as her eyes swelled up with tears.
"Hey! Hey! You're not the same girl you were five years ago. You're a mother and an amazing one at that, and you will find peace in your home country," Sandra responded as she embraced her sister in a comforting hug, making Selene close her eyes.
She knew she was not the same as before. Heck, even her appearance had changed; she had done a whole body glow-up after Cyrus's birth, wanting to be the best mother for her son, emotionally, financially, and even physically.
She had registered for the gym and worked on her body with so much discipline, losing a ton of weight and adding curves in all the right places.
Her formerly long, wavy hair was now styled in a bob cut, and career-wise, with this promotion, she was now the youngest manager in the company's history. That was a significant change, so why did she feel so small as she did that morning?
Opening her eyes and letting go of her sister, her smile faded when her eyes couldn't seem to find Cyrus at the spot where she last saw him near her luggage.
"Sandy! Where is Cyrus?" Selene asked, feeling her heart racing rapidly as her eyes peeled through the crowd, searching for her son.
"He was just here some minutes ago," Sandy responded, confused.
"But he's not here, can't you see?" she said, pointing towards the empty spot where they last saw him, panicking.
"Hey, relax, okay? We will find him," Sandy said, putting her hands on Selene's shoulders.
"You stay here in case he decides to come back. I will look for an officer to help us."
"We will find him, Selene, I promise you," she said, giving her a reassuring smile before disappearing into the crowd.
Trying her best not to panic, but to no avail, her mind wandered to places it shouldn't; on the first day after five years back in her home country, her kid went missing.
"I hate this place," she cursed under her breath as her eyes continued to scan through the crowd for her son.
Not too far from where she stood, Nikolas took a deep breath as he inhaled the fresh air. He realized how much he had missed his home country after being away for three months on a business trip.
Now, he needed to rest for the weekend before resuming at the company he had successfully purchased while he was away.
Taking over from his father was a huge challenge, but he was willing to make it work for his mother. Although the issue of who would get the estate was still unresolved, he was prepared to tackle it as soon as he settled down.
Strolling through the crowd toward the airport's entrance, he searched for signs of his driver. Just then, his eyes settled on a little boy who appeared lost, with no adult by his side.
Contemplating whether to assist the kid or go on his way, he chose the latter. However, as he was about to walk past him, he made eye contact with the boy. Those hazel-green eyes, identical to his, compelled him to walk closer to the child, losing the battle with his nonchalant self.
Leaning down to match the kid's height, he could see the relief on the boy's face as someone finally paid attention to him.
"Hey, little fella, what's your name?" he asked, trying to start a conversation to make him feel comfortable.
"Cyrus. Mommy said not to talk to strangers," Cyrus responded, his voice breaking as if he might cry.
"I'm not a stranger; I work with the officer over there," Nikolas said, lying to him to calm the tense boy. He pointed to the actual officer standing with a lady.
"Aunty Sandy," Cyrus screamed when his eyes spotted the lady close to the officer, recognizing her before running off without another word to Nikolas.
Nikolas chuckled at the child's behavior but also felt a tingling sensation after helping the child.
He had spotted the driver a few seconds into the conversation with Cyrus but had wanted to help the boy first.
Nikolas smiled faintly as He entered the car, satisfied he'd done his part.