It hurts

hi my names Noha and I'm 23 years old and I'm the Founder & CEO of Meds and Care company which is based in 4 European Country's. And i have been living in Italy from past 3 years with my beautiful twin kids Aya and Leo.

Right now, I was on vacation

Yes, an actual vacation

After years of constantly being busy with my company, I had finally decided to give myself a proper break. No meetings ,no business calls , no endless emails, and absolutely no work.

At least, that was the plan.

My best friend, Anna, owned a beautiful cafe with her mother. But it wasn't just a cafe. It was a cozy library and a bakery, with shelves filled with books, comfortable reading corners, and the smell of freshly baked pastries drifting through the entire place.

It had always been one of my favorite places.

Today, however, Anna had a date.

The problem?

She was supposed to be working her shift.

So, naturally, she called me.

"Noha, please. Just for few hours, "Anna begged

And somehow, I still said yes.

Before leaving for the cafe i had to leave my kids Aya and Leo with Bella, one of my co-founder. Bella herself is a single mother, so she understood the situation better than most and agreed to look after the kids for few hours.

Which was how i ended up behind the counter, wearing an apron and helping Anna's mother with her evening shift.

Anna had already left for the date, probably enjoying herself while I stood there serving coffee and pastries.

I looked around the cozy cafe library and sighed.

ahhh!!!! i miss my kids.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I happened to glance towards the window.

And then I sow her.

Maya.

She stood outside, just beyond the glass, with a child beside her.

For a moment, I couldn't move. I simply started at her through the window, trying to convince myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me.

But they weren't

It was her.

It really was Maya.

And she had a child with her.

And then, a man walked toward Maya and gently took the bag from her hand.

I couldn't see his face clearly from where I was standing, but something about him made me uneasy. I didn't know why, but for some reason, I felt a little scared.

Before I could make sense of what I was seeing, they were gone.

I stood there for a moment, still lost in my thoughts, wondering about Maya and the child beside her.

Then the customers began coming in.

I quickly pulled myself together and greeted them.

“Good evening.”

And then I froze.

Because it was him.