The Spring She Grew Into

Janice did not waste any time. She moved straight back into her parents' home.

The Douglas family had never been fond of Adrian and his carefree life overseas, believing he had just been a two-year detour for their beloved daughter. They had been on Janice's case to dump him for ages.

Because of that, she had had more than her fair share of arguments with them.

The Douglas family was buzzing with excitement. Their daughter Janice had finally seen the light, ditching Adrian and even agreeing to marry into the prestigious Graham family. They were all smiles as they dove into planning the big day.

"How about the Kingsley Hotel for the venue? Their weddings are the talk of Luminous City," suggested Janice's mom, Natalie Yates, as she affectionately ruffled her daughter's soft hair. "You've dreamed of a wedding there since you were a little girl, and now, just like that, my baby girl is all grown up and ready to start her own life."

Janice had always been eager to grow up, especially since Adrian came into her life. She imagined herself in a stunning white gown, walking down the aisle of the city's most opulent hotel, feeling like a princess on her way to meet him.

Yet, she was about to marry someone else in that very hotel, not Adrian.

Her dad, Paul Douglas, could not stop grinning. "Perfect! The Grahams are the cream of the crop in Jubilee City. Only the best for them. That being said, will two hundred seats do?"

Janice shook her head. "Sean and I want to keep it low-key. No need for a big crowd, just family."

Paul paused, then agreed with a nod.

"Marrying into the Grahams is a big deal for us. I didn't expect you to say yes so fast. We haven't even started the PR work. A big to-do doesn't seem right. We'll do it your way."

Natalie was all smiles, tugging Janice along to pick out the perfect flowers for the wedding. She held up a bunch of roses, vibrant and fresh, and waved them in front of Janice. "Baby girl, check out these roses. They scream celebration, don't they?"

Janice was about to respond when her phone buzzed out of the blue. She glanced at the screen, saw a number she did not recognize, and hit 'ignore'.

However, the phone rang again almost immediately.

Janice ignored the call once more and blocked the number without hesitation.

Alas, another call came through, this time from a different number, persistent as ever. Janice sighed and retreated to her room to take the call.

"Janice, isn't it time to stop the silent treatment? If I don't call you, are you just never coming back? You're too old for these runaway stunts!" Adrian's voice came through, laced with irritation. "And you blocked me? Really?" He was clearly annoyed. "All this because Yvette crashed at our place for one night? You're jealous over that? She was terrified, alone at night. Was I supposed to leave her out on the streets?"

Janice cut him off with a frosty, "What do you want?"

Adrian was taken aback. Janice had never been that icy with him before, and it threw him off.

"If there's nothing important, I'm hanging up."

"Wait!" He cleared his throat, trying to sound gentler. "Look, it's been three days. Aren't you over it yet? I've got everything set up for the project, just waiting on your dad's confirmation. You're home now, so maybe you could–you know–charm him into signing off on it sooner?"

He had finally gotten to the point. As usual, it was all about the project.

Janice brushed off his comment and switched gears. "Hey, your mom's meds are probably almost out, and it's about time for her monthly check-up. Make sure you take her, okay? I'll text you her shrink's number later."

Sean's mom, Teresa Harris, had been through the wringer. Marvin Smith, her husband, had been messing around, and it hit Teresa hard. She got slammed with some heavy-duty anxiety, and for a while, she could not even handle day-to-day stuff.

Janice had been her rock, though, spending tons of time making sure Teresa got to her therapy sessions and stayed on top of her meds. Teresa was not exactly up for socializing, but she was a lot more even-keeled those days and could take care of herself.

The last thing Janice wanted was for her drama with Adrian to mess with Teresa's progress. Teresa had been decent to her, and Janice was not about to go cold-hearted on her then.

Adrian's voice was all lazy and nonchalant. "You know the drill with my mom's issues better than I do. You've got this, right?"

That was the last straw for Janice. The guy was about to tie the knot with someone else and still had the nerve to lean on her? She must have been out of her mind to fall for a dude like that!

"I've got my own stuff to deal with!" Janice snapped back and cut the call, no second thoughts.