Page 52 of Broken Destiny

I took her back to her room and dressed her. I slipped a blue top over her head and pulled on striped purple tights, and buttoned her pink cardigan while she dangled her feet on the dresser.

“Mama… wonsaya for dinner?” she asked.

“La… sag… na, baby,” I teased, remembering how much she had loved it during her birthday party in March. She had eaten it every day for nearly a week afterward and cried when it was finally gone.

“I said that,” Emma insisted, looking at me seriously.

“Of course you did.” I laughed. “But not tonight. We’ll eat something at the fair, okay?”

“Okay… but ice cream?”

“Sure, sweetheart.”

I finished tying her shoes just as Geeta walked into the room.

“I’m ready,Didi! I’ve got the bag ready for Emma and Lucas—clothes, diapers, and a few snacks… just in case.”

“Perfect,” I said.

After checking the doors and windows one last time, I set the alarm and ushered everyone outside. The evening air carried the distant music from the fairgrounds, mingled with the smell of popcorn and roasted corn drifting across the village.

Loading the children into the car, with Geeta settling into the front seat, I pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the fair, ready for a night filled with laughter, bright lights, and memories I hoped would remain untouched by the past.

16

CALEB

Greg and I headed to the village fair, and I couldn’t believe the number of people who had gathered there.

It was fifteen degrees Celsius, the sun peeking through the clouds in soft bursts of light that warmed the cool evening air. The breeze carried the smell of greasy, calorie-laden food from the stalls—fried dough, roasted corn, and sugary treats that made children tug impatiently at their parents’ hands. Bright lights from the Ferris wheel and roller coasters flashed against the evening sky, spinning and blinking in dazzling colours, while laughter and excited chatter blended with music blasting from speakers near the stage in the centre of the fairgrounds.

A spooky house and mirror maze entertained children and adults alike, drawing curious visitors toward their entrances with promises of thrills and surprises. A live band played upbeat songs, adding to the lively chaos that surrounded us.

“This is unbelievable,” Greg said, turning slowly as he took everything in. “There’s nothing like this in Vancouver. The lights, the colours, the rides, the people.”

I nodded in agreement, scanning the crowd.

Then I stopped dead in my tracks.

My pulse spiked, pounding against my ribs, and the noise around me seemed to fade into the distance, as though someone had suddenly lowered the volume on the entire world.

A few feet in front of me stood Jiya and her children.

How could I possibly run into her when there had to be at least a thousand people wandering through this fair? The odds felt impossible, yet there she was. I knew she would be at the fair. She had mentioned it to Greg and me, but still… in a crowd this size… the coincidence felt unreal. And if I was honest with myself—painfully honest—I had hoped I would see her again. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

“Caleb?”

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Lucas stood in front of me, frowning.

I stared at him, momentarily frozen.

He had grown so much since the last time I had seen him. The little boy I remembered was gone. In his place stood a taller version of himself, still skinny but stronger, and his blue eyes pierced straight into mine.

“Hi, buddy. How are you?” I asked, my mouth suddenly dry.

“Fine,” he replied. “How come you’re here?”