My car joined the early morning traffic. This time, I wasn't heading to La Défense.

I was going to visit my ex-girlfriend in the town that saw me grow up and become who I was today. It also harbored heartache- so damn much of it.

Vicky was cryptic on the phone. I knew she wouldn't have called me hadn't it been important. We didn't keep in touch after we broke up. My father's funeral was when I saw Vicky for the last time, without taking into account that one time Sky and I ran into her.

Once on the highway, I sped up and put the radio on to distract myself from all kinds of unwelcome thoughts. What was so important that she insisted on seeing me in person?

I racked my brain for a logical explanation and didn't find any. It might have had something to do with dancing, seeing we'd been dance partners and used to compete together, but I left that part of my life behind.

The few hours of the drive passed fast, much to my relief. My car rolled onto one of the quiet streets in a nice area of my hometown. I parked the vehicle and got out of it, casting a glance at the modern residential building in front of me. It was where Vicky lived now.

Inhaling deeply, I locked the car and strolled to the apartment complex. The foyer door opened without delay as soon as I pressed the button on the intercom.

I took the elevator to the fifth floor. When I exited the machine, one of the open apartment doors caught my eye.
Then, I saw Vicky.

"Liam, come on in."

"Hey," I greeted my ex-girlfriend and followed her into a spacious hallway.

"Thank you for coming," Vicky said with a smile. "I apologize for not telling you much on the phone. I would've driven to Paris to see you, but it's not easy."

"Why?" I asked.

Then, my eyes widened, and my heart threatened to break my ribcage.

A toddler was behind Vicky. The boy stood clutching a toy car in his small hands. He couldn't have been older than-

I stared at the girl in front of me, my mouth hanging open, and she frowned, confused by my reaction. Then, Vicky laughed.

"Oh, God, no! Samuel isn't yours. That's what you thought, right?"

"Damn." I let out a relieved breath. "You could've given me a heads-up. All that mystery made me wonder," I said, crouching down to be level with the boy. "Hey, buddy."

The kid smiled and then hid behind Vicky's legs.

"He's shy." She chuckled, ruffling his dark hair. "Let's go to the kitchen. I owe you a cup of coffee and an explanation."

"Where's Etienne?" I asked, sitting on a chair while Vicky busied herself with the kettle.

"At work. He knows I asked you to come here. Samuel is home because he had a fever, and Etienne couldn't take a day off at work to stay with him-"

"It's okay. I'm here, but it'd better be important," I half-joked.

Vicky made two cups of coffee and gave me one. "Wait a minute."

She left the room and was back with an envelope. "This is the reason why I called you. It arrived at the dance school addressed to you."

My eyebrows bunched up as I took the letter and read the unfamiliar name printed on it.

"At the dance school, you say? Are you still dancing?"

"No." Vicky shook her head. "I work there, helping with the administrative stuff. They hired me part-time, thank God."

"But you were going to college."

Vicky shrugged. "Yeah. It never happened. I got pregnant with Samuel shortly after our graduation. It was an accident, but I decided to keep him, and Etienne supported my decision."

"He did well," I said.

"It's true what they say about karma." Vicky smiled. "I was a selfish bitch and didn't get what it was like for you when you had to take care of Tim until I got pregnant, and my family turned their backs on me."

"For real?"

Vicky nodded, sipping her coffee. "I am lucky to have Etienne. He didn't give up on me even when I wasn't the best person. We had been together for a very short time when it happened, and he couldn't go to college either. His family isn't rich. We needed money for our son. Now it's easier with the daycare, but before that when he was little...You know, I don't know how you managed to take care of your brother when you were a kid yourself. When my son was born, I felt like the biggest failure, the worst mom ever. I had no idea about anything. It felt as if everyone was judging me."

"I didn't have a choice, Vicky. When bad stuff happens, we don't usually have a say in the matter."

"True. I'm glad things are going well for you in Paris. Your girlfriend is beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." I smiled. "So, the letter. I see you didn't open it."

"I wouldn't; it's not mine. I saw it was sent from the States, that's why I thought you would like to have it as soon as possible. Do you have any idea about who might have sent it?"

"I don't know who the guy is. It might have something to do with my mom because she used to live there."

"Now that you say it, a colleague of mine told me someone called the school, asking about her."

"When?"

"Last week, and then we got this letter."

"Who was it? What did they want?"

Vicky bit her lip. "Cecile told me it was a woman. She hung up as soon as Cecile told her your mom no longer..."

"Do you have her number? Name, anything?"

"No. I wasn't at work when she called, but I can ask. I hope the woman left a message. Maybe it has something to do with the letter, but I don't know why she asked about your mom and not you."

I studied the envelope again. The guy's name didn't ring a bell; neither did the name of the town. If my memory served me right, my mom wasn't from there.

"Call me if you know anything else, okay?" I said, downing the rest of my coffee and rising to my feet. "I have to leave you now. I only asked for a morning off, and I have to pick up my brother later."

"No problem, and of course, I will let you know if there's news." Following my example, Vicky got up from the chair and followed me to the hallway with Samuel in tow.

"Say bye to Liam," she said to the boy, who timidly waved his hand at me.

"Bye, buddy," I said.

"Liam."

Vicky shifted on her feet, looking at me. "I never apologized, but I'm sorry. I'm not proud of the way I behaved; I never was. I wish we had ended things differently."

"It's okay, Vicky. It's water under the bridge."

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah." I smiled. For once, it was true. "You?"

"Very," Vicky said, glancing at the dark-haired toddler.

"It's all that matters. I gotta run. Thanks for keeping the letter."

"Not at all. I hope it's good news."

"Me too," I replied and exited Vicky's apartment.

***

My mind went into overdrive as soon as I sat behind the steering wheel and turned the key in the ignition.

The dance school where my mom worked was like a second home to both her and me. She was loved and appreciated. My mom's death affected her students and colleagues greatly.

Partly, it would explain why the letter arrived there. My parents didn't own any properties. Every time the price of the rent went up, we moved apartments, looking for something cheaper. The dance school was one of the few permanent places in our lives, and my mom was friends with the director. Nobody would mind if she listed the school as the place where she wanted to be contacted. The question was, why did I know nothing about it?

When my mom got ill, I was old enough to know if she had family or relatives who cared about her, but she never said anything to me. That part of her life - the one before she met my dad- had always been surrounded by mystery and hardly ever mentioned at home.

I didn't have anyone I could ask about it. The only way to get some information was by opening the letter which was now on the passenger seat, waiting for me to read it.

I continued mulling over the strange phone call and the envelope for the rest of the way to Paris.

When I arrived at work, Victor had already started the meeting he needed me to attend. I went into the conference room, thankful for the distraction from my thoughts. The insane amount of work allowed me to take a break from my musings.

At around five, I finished my workday and drove to Tim's school. My brother was already waiting for me at the entrance with Amelia and Antoine by his side.

"Good afternoon," I greeted them. "Am I late?"

"No." Amelia smiled. "I could escape the office earlier and wanted to ask you if you would let Tim go home with my son and me. The boys can do homework and have dinner together."

"Yeah, I guess so. What time will you drop him off?"

"Does nine p.m. work for you?"

"Sure."

"Awesome!" Amelia smiled, looking at the two boys.

"Behave," I warned Tim, who shrugged, grinning.

"I always behave, Liam."

I accompanied Amelia to her car and made sure Tim had everything and was good to go.

When the vehicle disappeared around the corner, I took out my phone and sent a text to Sky, asking where she was.

She shared her location with me, and I decided it was high time I paid that place a visit.

***

The evening settled in almost imperceptibly. By the time I made my way into the old, elegant building, the street lights were on.

I entered the dance studio without any problems. Expecting to see someone at the reception, I was surprised by the sight of an empty chair.

Standing in the middle of the hall, I listened in to figure out where Sky was. I expected music blaring from the speakers. Instead, a barely audible melody reached my ears.

Following its trace, I found Sky, doing stretches on a mat in front of the mirror.

I couldn't help smiling as I stood in the doorway, observing her every move.

"Nice technique," I said, making Sky jump in surprise.

"Hey," she panted, rising to her feet. "I didn't think you'd come."

"You sent me your location. It looked like an invitation to me."

"I'm glad you're here," Sky said, smiling. "Do you want to see the place?"

"Sure, but first say hi to me."

I took a step toward Sky and placed my hands on her cheeks.

Then, I touched her lips with mine and trailed soft kisses over Sky's jaw and down her neck, making her whimper.

"Hey, sweetheart," I whispered, placing one last kiss to Sky's mouth.

"Hey...I like your greetings."

"I only use them with you," I said, lacing my fingers with Sky's.

"Okay, I'm going to show you the dance halls. As you already noticed, we're alone here. Brigitte went home because she was feeling under the weather."

"Better this way," I said. "We can get naughty, and nobody will see us."

Sky's blush made me chuckle, kissing her cheek as we walked along the corridor with rooms on either side of it.

It took Sky fifteen minutes to do a tour of the place for me. It was beautiful, and I wished I were less distracted. This way, I would've appreciated it more.

"I also wanted to show you something really cool," Sky chirped as we stood in the last of the numerous halls.

"Wait, sweetheart," I said, circling Sky's wrist with my fingers. "I need to tell you something first."

Theories? Who could've sent the letter?
Hope you're enjoying the story ❤