Page 55 of Broken Destiny

Jiya glanced at the growing line of impatient people behind us.

“Fine,” she said at last.

We climbed into the cart together. Jiya sat on one side, placed Emma in the middle, and I took the seat on the other.

Emma sniffled softly.

I leaned toward her and swiped the tears away from her cheeks with my thumb.

“There you go, Emma,” I said gently. “Now give me a big smile.”

Her face lit up.

Seeing that smile stirred a familiar longing inside me, catching me off guard before I could push it away.This could have been us. Our little family with Lucas as our son and Emma as our daughter. It should have been us.

The Ferris wheel began to move, lifting us slowly into the air.

The town spread out beneath us. From up here, everything looked peaceful—small houses, quiet streets, the distant shimmer of water along the shoreline.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Jiya snapped her head toward me, her eyes widening.

“I shouldn’t have said anything to Lucas until I had checked with you first,” I continued. “I was caught off guard.”

The words felt awkward leaving my mouth, but they were honest.

She looked at me for a few seconds, and then her expression softened.

“I’m sorry too,” she replied quietly. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you either.”

The cart reached the top and paused.

Emma gasped. “Look, Mama!”

Jiya followed her daughter’s pointing finger, and I did the same.

The entire town stretched out below us—the waterfront glowing in the fading light, the sky painted in soft shades of orange and purple, the world calm beneath our feet.

Emma tugged at my jacket.

“We stuck?”

“I hope not,” I replied with a small laugh.

“Scared?”

“A little bit,” I admitted. “You?”

“No. I take care of you. No worry.”

Her confidence made me chuckle.

“You’ll take care of me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “And how old are you, Emma?”

“I free years old!” Emma declared proudly, holding up two three fingers with a big, toothy grin.

Coldness hit my core with her answer.