Chapter 6

When she got to Clara's place, she was not in her apartment. Her friend was still at work and luckily, she was given a spare key to be able to get inside Clara's apartment. As she placed her bags and luggage on the porch, she rubbed her palms on her jeans and roamed around her friend's place.

Clara's flat was quaint, small, and just perfect for a single woman. Everything inside was so Zen-like that the room looked so peaceful and refreshing. The entire place had every pot of plants hanging around on was on the top of a table. As she went to the lounge area, her lips went up when she saw a hammock by the window. Beside it was a side table and a cactus plant on top of it.

She slumped into the hammock and leaned her back on it as she tried to close her eyes. It was fortunate for her that Clara allowed her to stay temporarily in her place while she tried to find an apartment once she got back to teaching. However, the downside of this was that she might get accustomed to her friend's flat, and she would have a hard time finding her own place that would be as comfortable as here.

When Daphne felt that her eyes were getting heavier, her phone started to ring. Grumbling, she ducked it out of her pockets and pressed the button.

"What is it, mom?" She asked begrudgingly because usually her mom only called if she was out of money or if she was in a tight position.

Yeah, her mom wasn't really like other moms who were responsible and dependable. Truth be told, Linda was more dependable on her daughter than Daphne on her.

"Do you have an extra cash with you, honey?" Linda asked without any reluctance.

Daphne sighed in contempt. "You lost another game again?"

Linda explained, "Yeah…well, I was about to hit the pot Daphne, but damn, I was short of luck."

Out of frustration, Daphne stood up from the hammock. "I told you to stop gambling, mom! We can't afford to pay our debts right away. Eventually, I won't be able to sustain you with your addiction!"

"Just this time, sweetheart." Linda paused for a while and then fumbled as she spoke. "Fuck, I swear I'll stop gambling. I can promise you that."

Daphne rubbed her palms on her forehead. "You have said that a thousand times, mom. I don't know if I still ever believe that-"

It was true, though. Daphne didn't know if she would ever believe Linda again. Ever since she was a child, she had never felt her mother's love. Linda would always be out in the morning and be back in the morning with a sour mood and a drunk condition. She would only take notice of Daphne or would heed her attention when she needed something.

That was also the reason she also couldn't break her relationship with Maverick. Because at the moment Linda knew about Maverick, Daphne felt that her mother finally regarded her as her daughter and not just some responsibility she had to take care of. And, despite this, Daphne still hoped that her mom had loved even just a sliver part of her heart.

"Please, honey? Just this time, help your mama." Linda pleaded on the phone.

Daphne tried to understand her mom's situation. Sometimes, it was just too much for her to be patient with her.

Resigning with her shoulders in a slouch, she huffed. "Alright, I'll think of something."

"Great! You're the best daughter!"

Linda dropped the phone after that, leaving Daphne to deal with her debt problem. She tilted her head high to breathe deeply, and as she release a heavy sigh, she uttered, "I'm your only daughter, mom."

Nathan Kelly was buried under his work; even with that, he couldn't stop thinking about that woman in an awful wedding dress. It was unexpected to meet someone so disturbing, yet so interesting, like her.

More so, the woman was not exactly that bad. Although she looked bad that night with her smear of blank goo on her face, and a botched look, she kind of looked decent if she cleaned up. Besides, he was not interested right now in doing dates or entering into a serious relationship, knowing it would only be a nuisance to his plans and his career.

The man had a lot of things that were more important than that.

When he was about to grab a file from the pile of documents, his phone rang suddenly. He yanked the phone by his side and answered the call.

"Hey, sup man? How is it going?" he said, leaning his back on the swivel chair.

He heard him chuckle. "Hey, man! I'm good!" The man on the phone stopped for a moment, then spoke again, "Anyway, you're up for a drink later? Same time and same place, just like old times, Nathan."

Nathan looked at his smartwatch. He didn't have a meeting later and could probably fit his time into meeting his friend.

"Yeah, of course! Sure, Maverick!"

The call ended after that, and Nathan went back to his work.