I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away

Peter’s reaction made Terrence more certain that it was Meredith. But why Meredith hadn’t returned home was something only she could explain. She had gone to Auroraville; maybe Meredith would come home. With this thought, Terrence wasted no time and bought an afternoon flight ticket to Auroraville.

In the hotel, Azure was still waiting for Terrence to return, feeling anxious and worried that Terrence might be disappointed. Not long after, Terrence came back, hurriedly asking Azure to pack up and head to Auroraville.

Azure asked, “Did you see Meredith?”

“Meredith went to Auroraville,” Terrence said. “She must have gone home.”

Azure was also hopeful. If Meredith really had come back, it would be a joyous occasion for the Sterling family, and Terrence would finally move past his sorrow. They all headed to Auroraville together. Azure called Stella to inform her but didn’t mention Meredith, as they hadn’t seen her yet.

By the time they arrived in Auroraville, it was already evening. Stella and Julian had arranged for a car to pick them up at the airport. Stella came in person, and upon seeing Terrence, she was moved to tears. “Son, you finally came back.”

The first thing Terrence said to Stella was, “Mom, has Meredith come back?”

Stella was taken aback, thinking that Terrence hadn’t recovered from the shock after all these months. She said, “Son, Meredith is gone. Now that you’re back, stay here for good. Do it for Rowan.”

“Mom, Meredith has come back,” Terrence insisted, appearing normal but making Stella uneasy with his words.

Stella looked at Azure, who shook her head. Terrence continued, “Meredith must have gone home. Mom, you take Rowan back to Ravenwood. Give me the car; I’ll go check at home.”

With that, Terrence drove off in a rush. Stella was left bewildered and asked Azure, “What’s going on? Why does Terry seem even more unstable?”

“He really saw Meredith,” Azure explained. “We went to the beach where Meredith had her accident and saw her there. Then he said she came back to Auroraville, so we rushed back here. Maybe Meredith really has returned.”

“Can someone who’s dead come back?” Stella found it hard to believe.

In the upscale villa district where Terrence and Meredith’s marital home was located, Audrey took a cab there after getting off her flight. She couldn’t enter the community gate and wandered around until a security guard recognized her.

“Mrs. Sterling, you’re back! It’s been a long time since we last saw you.”

Audrey didn’t react immediately but smiled politely out of courtesy.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The news of Meredith’s accident wasn’t widely publicized nor was there a funeral held; only those within their circle knew about it. As time passed, even fewer people remembered.

The security guard opened the gate for Audrey. She thanked him and casually asked, “Which way is B36?”

The guard laughed and said, “Mrs. Sterling, have you forgotten your own house? It’s on the left side, the one at the very end.”

“Thank you,” Audrey smiled without further explanation.

As she walked towards the left side of the community following the directions given by the security guard, he stood there puzzled and muttered to himself, “What’s going on with Mrs. Sterling? How could she forget her own house?”

The sky was dimming and streetlights illuminated the path as Audrey reached Villa B36. Standing at the gate looking into the yard brought back some memories that caused an inexplicable pain in her chest.

Audrey looked up at the balcony of the villa where many flowers had once been planted but were now withered away leaving only pots behind. The cold weather had scattered leaves across the yard; without residents living there regularly anymore except for occasional cleaning by housekeepers.

Audrey didn’t have deep memories of this house but trying to recall more made her head ache. Recently random memories had been surfacing in her mind which led her to visit Auroraville.

Unable to enter she stood outside for a while before leaving again.

Fate works in mysterious ways; sometimes those we wish to see remain just out of reach.

Just as Audrey left Terrence arrived driving straight into underground parking coming home only to find everything closed with no signs anyone had returned leaving him feeling disappointed again.

Terrence opened up their yard gate filled with memories shared with Meredith when suddenly he heard someone speak behind him:

“Mr. Sterling you’re back too.” It was the same security guard patrolling around.