Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Even though her eyes were puffy from crying and the tears had only subsided a few hours ago, and sleep eluded her, Fathia still got up as usual. Her routine had changed. Usually, she would sit at the dining table while Summer prepared her breakfast to fuel her for the day ahead at school. But now? She had learned to prepare it herself. Although her menu was very simple, she was thankful to Asya for patiently teaching her.

A few times, Jess's kitchen ended up quite messy because of her experiments. Luckily, Jess wasn't angry and instead kept supporting her learning. She said, "Failure is necessary so that we know what's best for us in the future." Even though Fathia's kitchen failures had nothing to do with Jess's advice.

Now? The kitchen was no longer her enemy. In fact, she often brewed coffee to get the measurements just right. Although she didn't know herself why she was learning to make a cup of coffee. Once the strong liquid in the cup cooled down, she made a face. Just sipping a bit, the furrow on her forehead remained unchanged since Clara had her first taste of the coffee. She thought, "Why does Sebastian like coffee anyway? It doesn't taste good like this."

However, she never extinguished her enthusiasm for making coffee. For whoever.

This morning, she made fried rice without soy sauce. The seasoning was quite spicy. She needed it to stay awake later. Orders for flower balloons were waiting. Using artificial flowers, she had intentionally ordered from Korea, she arranged them in a transparent glass sphere as decoration. Ribbons and glitter were scattered inside.

Orders came from various backgrounds. They were often used as expressions of birthday wishes, anniversaries, or shop openings. Or even... special moments like proposals.

One of the items that sold the most.

Her phone rang loudly in the room. Her favorite song echoed as her ringtone, unchanged till now. Kenny G. She sighed in annoyance. The disturbance was Jess. Somehow, her best friend always managed to make her mornings frustrating day by day.

"You took forever to answer the phone!"

As she suspected, Jess was angrily ranting, with no clear end to her complaints. "Why?" She pinched the phone immediately. The stove was still on; she didn't want to take any risks with explosions... no... no... she had a trauma related to anything explosive.

"I'm coming to your place. Prepare breakfast."

Fathia shook her head, puzzled. Jess still owned a café where Asya would make breakfast later. Why should she have breakfast here? Sometimes, Fathia was always criticized extensively because the taste didn't match Jess's palate. When Jess got annoying like that, Fathia would just say, "You just eat and complain so much. How can I make it to your liking?"

And Jess's response? Laughter, as usual. The girl hadn't lost her knack for laughter throughout her life.

"I'm good, An. Keeping you company for breakfast so you don't drift off into daydreams. It's pointless. Let's just enjoy the life God has given us."

There was a momentary pause that Fathia used to savor. "I don't regret this decision, you know. I just miss my uncle," she said frankly. Then she corrected herself, "I mean... well, until this moment, I can only cherish the memories of him even though he was really good to me."

"Oh, come on!" Jess retorted mercilessly. Fathia was sure that on the other end, her friend's lips were pursed. And with her increasing eye-rolling skills due to annoyance. Just like her usual habits.

"Hurry up if you want me to prepare breakfast," Fathia finally cut in.

"Admit it, you're in love with Uncle Hwat. Right? Why are you holding back so much, An?"

Fathia sighed. "I'm not holding back, okay? I'm yielding and avoiding for the greater good."

There, Jess burst into laughter. "You're a conceding minister."

A slightly burnt aroma wafted. "See, my cooking is burnt!"

Before the call was disconnected, Fathia could still catch the sound of Jess's raucous laughter. Indeed, her friend was a handful.

They agreed to step aside, to distance themselves from the crowd. Jess was more extreme in this regard, following Fathia's lead and not continuing her studies, even though the opportunities were substantial. As for Fathia? She chose to only engage in the flower shop and her garden, deeming it safer than wandering around. She still wasn't ready; there were many eyes that stared at her with looks of... disgust?

Who knows. But she kept feeling that people passing by kept giving her those kinds of glances. Especially at the left side of her jaw. There was a noticeable and somewhat long scar there, even though she had undergone surgery. Even if it were to disappear, she would still have to undergo further procedures. And they weren't cheap.

No. She didn't need her old face back. It was fine to be looked at oddly, as long as she could lead a normal life the way she wanted. What Clara said was true. No one could recognize, let alone doubt, that she was Fathia Bernessa Claire.

The rented house she lived in wasn't far from her flower shop. She could walk or even use her electric bike to get there. She wore a hoodie to shield her from the harsh sun, a recommendation from Jess. She said it was better to use her motorbike. She offered to drive Fathia to the shop, but Fathia declined.

They had breakfast together and then went their separate ways. Jess to her café, Fathia to her shop. Both working.

"Hey, An," greeted the children's clothing store attendant next to her flower shop. Leaning her pink-colored bike against the side, Fathia turned to look. She smiled warmly at Tika.

"Good morning, Tika."

"It's already noon, An."

Fathia chuckled. "You're right, Tika. I overslept," she complained amidst laughter. "I'll head inside now. Melly must have already arrived."

Tika nodded gently as she watched Fathia, known to her as Anne, enter her shop. The jingling sound of Fathia's shop bell marked the entrance of someone.

"Aunt Melly," Fathia called out rather loudly. Usually, the woman who already had a child was always behind the cash register. Occasionally, she would observe the collection of flowers there.

"I'm in the back, An. Checking the Lily flowers."

Ah... Lily. Suddenly, the smile Fathia had created earlier, especially due to her enthusiasm in making the flower balloon orders, faded.

"Yes, Felice really loves red roses. She says they're so sexy. But in my opinion, the color is beautiful, but it can hurt people," Fathia complained one day as they walked through the backyard.

Sebastian's response was just a chuckle. "But what Felice said is true. Red is... sexy."

Since Fathia didn't quite understand, she simply resumed her steps. Until she arrived at one of her favorite collections: The Lilies.

"Well, here's Fathia's favorite," she pointed to the row of white flower collections.

"That's so you."

Fathia laughed. "But not any less beautiful, right?"

Sebastian moved closer, gently ruffling her hair, slightly disheveled from the wind that was blowing. "As beautiful as you, Princess."