Chapter 114: Alternative Option

Chapter 114: Alternative Option "Lucy is calling," Jamal said, showing Abigail his screen before receiving the call and placing it on speaker. "Love of my life," he greeted warmly, and Abigail raised a brow at that, but he didn’t notice. Lucy scoffed, "Love of your life? I don’t think so," she said, and Jamal frowned. "Why not?" "You refused to talk to me yesterday. You said you’d rather talk to Tom and Harry than talk to me, didn’t you?" She asked in a mock offended tone. "Would you rather I told you first and Tom killed me for telling his wife something that would break her heart?" He asked defensively. "Like I’m some fragile doll..." "Tell that to your husband not me," Jamal said, and Lucy laughed. "Anyway, I learned you’ve found the love of your life, and you not only found her, you both produced another love of your life," she said dryly, and Jamal chuckled. "Yes, Lucy. I found her. I found Dawn after twenty years," he said, his voice filled with awe as he turned to spare Abigail a glance. "How is she doing, Jam? That’s the reason I called. How is she? Is she fine? Did she suffer a lot? I know Tom and Harry spared some of the details. How is she?" Lucy asked in a soft voice. Her voice was filled with so much love and concern that Abigail’s heart felt like it had been dipped in warmth, then squeezed by invisible fingers she couldn’t name. She didn’t even remember Lucy, but hearing her voice tremble on the phone made her feel very warm. "She’s... been through a lot," Jamal said after a beat. He looked at Abigail then. "But she’s strong. So strong and brave. You won’t believe she made a joke of the whole situation to make me feel better. And she even comforted me. She has endured more than anyone ever should, but she still has a really good sense of humor, and she’s still quite smart." Abigail looked away, feeling slightly awkward that she was being spoken about this way and she was listening to them. There was a pause on the other end of the line, the kind that stretches with unspoken grief. Lucy sighed softly, "Tom told me she wants to see us." "Yes. You and Tom. Do you want to speak with her?" Jamal asked, and immediately Abigail turned to him and shook her head. She couldn’t imagine talking to Lucy over the phone now. What was she supposed to say? It would be too awkward talking to her. "Is she there with you?" Lucy asked, even though she really wasn’t sure she wanted her first conversation with her to be over the phone. Abigail shook her head vehemently but Jamal only smiled, "She’s here. But I think she’s shy to talk to you." He laughed when Abigail glared at him. "Well, let her know I’m shy too," Lucy said, and Abigail’s lips twitched. "She can hear you. The phone is on speaker," Jamal said and Lucy gasped. "Jamal are you out of your mind? Why didn’t you tell me that? Wait, has it been on speaker this whole time? Did she hear me complaining before?" Lucy asked, and Abigail giggled while Jamal chuckled. "Are you both going to talk or not?" Jamal asked, amused. Lucy cleared her throat, "Only if she wants to. Please don’t pressure her." Jamal turned to Abigail again, his face gentle. He didn’t say anything. He just held the phone out a little closer, letting the choice hang in the air like a feather suspended in time. Abigail swallowed as she reached for the phone. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her lips parted, then closed, then parted again. "Hi," she said quietly, almost breathlessly. "Hi Dawn... I mean Abigail. It’s Abigail, right? Which do you prefer I call you?" Lucy asked softly. "Whichever you’re comfortable with is fine by me," Abigail said quietly. "If you don’t mind, I’d stick to Dawn. Abigail is a pretty name no doubt, but you’ve always been Dawn to me. I’d rather call your real name." "It’s fine." They were both silent for a moment and Jamal did not make any effort to fill the silence. "This feels awkward," Lucy said with a small laugh, "I mean, I’m very happy to talk to you. I’m so happy to hear your voice after all these years, but now that I’m talking to you I don’t know what to say. Maybe it’s because I can’t see your face. I wish I could see you, Dawn. I want to give you a really tight hug and tell you how sorry I am that it took us so long to finally find you. I wish I could hug away all the pain and loneliness of the past years. I’m so sorry you went through all of that." Something about the way she said it made Abigail blink back a sudden sting in her eyes. "Thank you," Abigail said quietly. Lucy’s voice came through the speaker again, softer now, as though she sensed the ache just beneath Abigail’s breath. "You don’t need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you. For surviving. For being here. For still being you in spite of all you must have been through. And for letting Jamal find you." Abigail’s lips trembled, and she quickly pressed them together. She didn’t want to cry. Not over a phone call. Not with Jamal watching. Jamal reached over without a word and gently rested his hand over hers. Abigail blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. She couldn’t say anything just yet. Not without her voice cracking open and letting the grief spill out. She nodded instead, even though Lucy couldn’t see her. That stunned silence came again—one that didn’t need to be explained. And then Lucy let out a deep sigh. "Alright, I’ll stop talking your ears off now. I’m just so happy. So relieved. I can’t wait to see you, Dawn. I can’t wait to see the beautiful young woman you’ve transformed into," "Me too," Abigail murmured, surprising even herself. "I mean I can’t wait to see you, not me," she corrected. Lucy laughed, a breathy, emotional sound and both Jamal and Abigail joined in her laughter. "Alright, Jam. I’ll leave her with you. Take care of her, okay?" "You know I will," he replied, his voice soft as he took the phone from Abigail. "Good. Love you both." "Love you too, Lucy," Jamal called back. When the call ended, silence reclaimed the car. But this time, it wasn’t awkward. It was full. Comforting. "You okay?" Jamal asked gently when Abigail didn’t say anything after a while. She nodded. "Yeah. I think I am." Her voice was steadier now. "I didn’t expect her to be like that," she said after a moment. "So warm. So... real." "She’s always been like that," Jamal said, leaning back. "She’ll probably cry after the call." Abigail rubbed her palms together. "I like her. I mean... I don’t know her. But I like her." "She loves you too," Jamal said with a grin. "You’re her long-lost baby." "I can’t wait to meet her in person," Abigail said, and then pursed her lips when she remembered something, "so, she’s the love of your life?" Abigail asked, and Jamal chuckled. "I probably didn’t mention this to you before, but I wanted to marry Lucy," he said with a grin and Abigail raised a brow. "Really?" She asked, amused. "Yeah. She’s the first female I ever had a crush on. I really liked her, but unfortunately she was taken," he said with a shrug. "So, I guess I’m your alternative option?" She asked with a scowl and he laughed. "In a way..." "You must have death wish!" Abigail snapped, making him laugh out loud. "Jeez! You’re so jealous and possessive," Jamal said, amused. Abigail eyed him with displeasure, "So, back to what we were saying before the love of your life called," she said dryly, and Jamal chuckled. "Alright, I’m sorry. Lucy is not the love of my life. You are," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "I never said I wanted to be the love of your life. She can remain the love of your life. She’s your first love after all," Abigail said, knowing she was being petty. "You know what? I’m just going to call her back and tell her she’s no longer the love of my life," Jamal said, and when Abigail didn’t react he picked up his phone and pretended to dial Lucy’s line. "Lucy, I’m sorry, but you can’t be the love of my life anymore. Abi..." Abigail snatched the phone from him before he could continue and Jamal burst into a peal of laughter when Abigail looked at the screen and realized he was toying with her. Seeing the way he was laughing, Abigail’s lips twitched with amusement. "You realize that you are wasting what little precious time we have fighting with me over nothing, right?" Jamal asked, and Abigail rolled her eyes. "Who said I’m wasting the time or that I’m fighting? This is fun too," she said with a shrug, and Jamal smiled. "So, you want me to ask Ryan to make me Genevieve’s secretary?" He asked, returning to what she had been saying earlier. "Yes," Abigail said, and Jamal sighed. "Don’t you think for someone as ruthless as Ryan he’s trusting me too easily? It’s strange that he doesn’t have people watching you and Genevieve," Jamal said, and Abigail paused when she remembered that Ryan did have men. She had not seen them at the airport the other day, but she remembered Ryan saying they had taken her luggage to the car. Were they watching her discreetly? She wouldn’t put it past Ryan.