I meant to state this in the previous chapter, but I changed when Rose's birthday was in this fic to September instead of March.

It was strange being here with Dimitri, but I was thrilled about it. The last time I was here, we were sitting across the café from each other, texting each other while awkwardly having a date. It was all very Victorian romance-like, stolen glances and brushes of the hand. I was surprised that nobody noticed our relationship while I was in high school. But I guess nobody truly paid attention to others around them.

"Their coffee is still the best I've had," I said as I accepted the cup from Dimitri.

"Then you'll love this," he said as he sat down, "Lots of sugar."

I smirked and took a sip, moaning quietly as I tasted it. He was right. It was like Christmas exploded into a cup.

"Oh God, that's good," I moaned after swallowing, "What is that?"

"It's called 'Christmas Cheer'," Dimitri said, "I think it's a play off a Starbucks drink."

I nodded and took another sip. "What time do you need to pick up Leena?"

"Not 'til five. The at-home childcare she's with does extended hours. It helps when I need to do the detention shifts of after-class gradings. Or groceries, or Christmas shopping," he explained running his hand through his hair.

I smiled and looked at my phone when it buzzed, flipping it over after I read it.

"What is it?"

"Adrian," I sighed, "He sent me a thousand dollars for the deposits, and is still trying to get me to come back to New York."

"You were able to get deposits back?"

"Yeah, even though he paid the deposits, I called the vendors and told them exactly what happened. Apparently, they felt bad. If only he would stop trying to get me back."

"I could call him, pretend that I'm your rebound," he said with a wink, "Unless he knows about our history?"

I shook my head. "I didn't tell many people about our history, aside from Lissa," I said with a shrug, "Part of me likes it being mine. Plus, then I don't have to talk about what happened."

Dimitri took a sip of his coffee, his brows pinched. "Did you though? Talk about it? Because it was still a trauma you went through."

I nodded. "I did some therapy in university, and it helped it my impulse control. I'm less likely to punch someone these days," I said with a smirk, "But I did talk about it. A lot."

"At least you got some control of your fist."

I snorted a laugh and sat back comfortably in my chair, enjoying the moment of calmness. It was easy to forget the whirlwind my life was sitting here. It was easy to forget that I was in the middle of a messy stage of my life where everything I thought was secure wasn't. I didn't feel the pain, or the disappointment, or the disgust. I just felt content.

But a part of me wondered what my life would have been like if Dimitri and I hadn't ended things all those years ago. Would this be our lives? Except instead of having a child with Tasha, would we have had one of our own by now?

"Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you made a different choice?"

Dimitri raised a brow at me.

"Pardon me?"

"I'm serious. Do you ever wonder what our lives would look like if things were different?"

"All the time. But we can't change the past," he said gently, "No matter how much we wish we could."

"What did my father say to you to make you stay away?" I asked as I played with the sleeve on my cup, tearing the corner of it.

Dimitri got quiet and bit his lip for a moment.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"It does to me," I said softly.

Dimitri sighed. "It's best left unsaid. I don't want to drudge all of this up again," he said.

Then.

I drummed my nails against the desk as I waited for Dimitri to hand out the tests. I was worried about this one. I had been exhausted the last week and fell asleep every time I started studying.

Dimitri set my test on my desk, and I sat up straighter, looking at the score on my test. I smiled to myself when I saw the near-perfect score. I flipped through it to see what I got wrong when I noticed a note tucked into the corner on the third page. I pulled it out without anyone noticing and subtly slipped it into my bra strap. Once Dimitri was back at the front of the room, I raised my hand, asking to use the washroom. Once I was in the bathroom, I took the note out from under my strap and read it.

I read it quickly and waited a few minutes before going back to class. The beginning of June was sweltering, and I wasn't sure how I was going to make it through the ready of the month without passing out.

I sat back down at my desk and pretended to look like I was occupied with my homework, but when the bell rang, I took my time collecting my things. Once the class emptied out, I sat on the edge of my desk and looked at Dimitri.

"You couldn't have texted me?" I asked.

"No," he said and I tilted my head in confusion.

"Is this because of what happened?"

"Yes and no. It's about cutting off contact," he said quietly and I felt myself default.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your father knows about us," he said and I felt dread set into my chest.

"Nothing happened until I was eighteen-"

"That's beside the point, Roza. What we were doing… wasn't okay, and we both knew that. And now with everything that's happened, we need a clean cut. I know it's not what you want, but it's what needs to be done," he explained and I twisted the hem of my shirt between my fingers.

"We're ending this?"

"I'm sorry," Dimitri whispered from where he was perched on the edge of his desk, "This wasn't something I wanted to do over a text or the phone."

I nodded and licked my lips. I hated how it felt like my heart was in my stomach, and in my throat at the same time.

"I didn't expect to get so attached," I said after a minute, discreetly wiping a few tears off my cheek. Dimitri glanced towards the door and stood up, coming to a stop in front of me. Attached was an understatement. We both knew what we felt for each other. We had told each other how we felt.

"Neither of us did," he whispered as he tucked my hair behind my ear, "This was supposed to be something to take the edge off, but it became more too quickly."

I nodded and sniffed, looking up to prevent more tears from spilling. Dimitri waited until I had composed myself and dipped his head down, pecking me softly on the lips. I expected it to be a quick kiss, but it lingered as did his fingers against my cheek.

"You were more than just a student to me, Roza. You will always be more," he said.

I nodded and sniffed again, standing up and clearing my throat, looking up at him again with watery eyes.

"So I guess, goodbye then?"

Dimitri nodded and wiped a few tears from my cheek. I gave him a tight-lipped smile and slipped out of the room, avoiding Lissa's worried eyes as she waited for me outside of the door.

Now.

I drummed my nails against the counter as I twisted the stem of my wine glass, the sound of the glass against the granite almost a whisper.

"I'm surprised to see you breaking into the good stuff. You usually don't divulge except at the holidays."

"It's close enough," I said as I took a sip and looked up at my father, "Sit."

"Is that an order?" he laughed as he took his jacket off and set his fedora on the counter.

"Could be," I said as I looked at him again. Abe raised a brow at me and poured himself a glass of wine as well, sitting down across from me.

"What is it that requires my immediate attention? Are you going to tell me why you called the engagement off?"

"No. You are going to tell me what you said to Dimitri after my car accident," I deadpanned. Abe's hand stilled as he brought it to his lips.

"Pardon me?"

"You heard me. Since he won't tell me, you will. Because my patience is thin and I'm tired of being lied to by the men in my life."

Abe sighed and took a sip of his wine. "Have you mentioned any of this to your mother?"

"I figured she already knew."

"She doesn't."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean? What doesn't she know?"

"Who you were involved with," he said slowly after a moment.

I scoffed and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What did you say to him?"

"I threatened to turn him in," Abe said and I sucked on my teeth.

"And you were willing to throw me to the wolves in the process," I stated, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Your mother would never have allowed your reputation to be tarnished, hers by extension, so I never told her."

"But ruining my reputation wasn't an issue for you?"

"You made a stupid decision, you should have needed to face the consequences for it," Abe said and I scoffed, shaking my head to myself.

"Wow," I said after a minute, "You were willing to do that, to ruin two people's lives because you were angry."

"No good man would get involved with a minor."

"I was eighteen!" I retorted back.

"Either way! Adrian is a better man, and I don't see why you're throwing away a hard-working relationship over rumours!"

I gapped at him and drained the last of my wine glass.

"You think that Adrian is a better man?"

"Yes, and I still have no issues reporting your former teacher. I've heard that you've been seen with him a few times since you came back," he said and I shook my head at him.

"This isn't because of rumours. I walked in on him in our bed with two other women, one of them who was supposed to be one of my friends. The only thing that Dimitri ever did was get me pregnant and was my teacher. And if you report him, I will deny it," I said as I stood up, "But I'm glad to know that having power over people is still more important than your own blood. Even if you reported him now, it would still hurt me!"

"Now," Abe started but I held up my hand.

"That car accident was your fault! If you hadn't pissed off the people that you did, they never would have targeted me!" I snapped, "Or have you forgotten that?!"

Abe went silent as he looked at me, but his cheeks pinked as his eyes moved to look behind me. I turned and saw my mother standing in the doorway, her face impassive and cold. It was hard to tell what she was thinking when she looked like that, but I wasn't staying around to find out. I slipped past my mother and hauled up the stairs. By the time I got to my room I could hear the two of them arguing quietly in the kitchen, but I shut the door firmly between me and the house.

I stayed in there past dinner, not coming down when Janine nodded on the door gently. But when she came up later in the night, I opened it.

"Can I come in? I come baring gifts," she said, gesturing to the bowls in her hands. I looked at the bowls and the bottle of wine tucked under her arm before nodding. I stepped back and shut the door behind her, sitting back down on the bed. I moved my drawing tablet out of the way.

"What are you working on?" Janine asked as she sat next to me, setting the bowls on the bed. I picked up mine and took a spoonful. I was a sucker for cherries jubilee, and it was a comfort food in a sense.

"Nothing really, just drawing," I said as I put the ice cream in my mouth.

Janine nodded and leaned against the footboard of the bed, eating her dessert too.

"I overheard the conversation between you and your father."

"I figured you did," I said dryly.

"I won't let him," she said sternly, "I don't care what he thinks he's accomplishing, but I will not let him do that to you."

I nodded to myself. "Sure."

"Why didn't you tell me? I asked so many times."

"Because I was already feeling pretty ridiculed," I said into my bowl. Janine squeezed my ankle, and I looked up at her.

"I wasn't asking because I wanted to punish you, I wanted to know so that I could help you," she said. there was a softness in her voice that I wasn't used to hearing and I nodded, scooping more cherries onto my spoon.

"I can't believe he would do that. I know that what we did wasn't right, but most parents wouldn't throw their kids under the bus like that."

Janine sighed. "Your father can be a little narrow-minded."

"He's power hungry. He tried to tell me that Adrian is the better man," I said with a snort and a roll of my eyes.

"I heard," she said, "Your father loves you; he just doesn't know when to stop."

"If I were the parent in this situation, love would tell me when to stop."

Janine nodded and leaned over to pick up the bottle of wine, pulling the cork from the neck and taking a sip straight from the bottle. I smirked at her and took the bottle when she extended it to me, doing the same with a sigh.

"And so what if I was having coffee with him? I'm a full-grown adult! I can talk to whoever I want," I grumbled.

Janine smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, I know I sounded like a child there," I said with a small chuckle. Janine shrugged and sighed quietly.

"Did you ask for favours when it came to school?"

"No, of course not! Honestly, it was more or less a distraction. I felt so much pressure of it being my last semester, and we were more friends than anything else. But somewhere along the way, it became more. We both knew that the circumstances were against us, we knew that. But it was almost like the right person, wrong time," I said as I finished the last of my ice cream and set the bowl on the nightstand.

"Even though it was wrong, he made me happy. All of our time together wasn't inappropriate. There were a lot of times where I was just doing homework and he was grading, or we watched a movie, or played that stupid game he liked so much. It was nice to just be myself with someone that wasn't Lissa and Andre," I said as I picked up the bottle of wine that was between my legs.

"I'm not proud of your actions, but it's best not to pursue the consequences now. It would do no good for anyone," she said and I nodded.

"But I haven't seen you smile since you got back unless you've mentioned him," she pointed out and I tried to fight the smirk that grew on my face.

"It's easier to forget the pain when I'm around him," I whispered.

"That's all I could ask for. For you to be able to forget the pain for a little while," she said as she held her hand out for the bottle.

"Well, if Dad has his way…"

"Leave your father to me," she said as she took a sip, "I'll deal with him."

"Yes, I understand," I said as I typed on my computer, "No, I will not be coming back before the holiday."

I sent off a few attachments before I sighed. The new partner at the firm was useless. I turned down the spot as a partner because of my upcoming marriage. Now I wish that I didn't.

"I never take off any vacation time. And to be fair, I think we can both agree that I deserve a little bit of time away from my life. I have assigned Belinda all of my current projects, and if I need to be consulted on an emergency basis, I will be available, but I will be taking time off until February. I can work remotely after the holiday," I said before I hung up, setting my phone on the counter with a sigh.

I rubbed my hands over my eyes and groaned quietly. Janine and I indulged a bit more than the one bottle last night, and from my understanding, Abe slept on the couch because Janine was so angry with him. He lied to both of us for years. But it all made sense now; he didn't seem to care about what I went through, but that I had 'a wake-up call'. I always thought he was talking about the accident but about the pregnancy and Dimitri.

I looked up when there were quiet footsteps just outside the kitchen, half expecting it to be one of my parents. Instead, I was surprised.

"Well, who is this pretty little princess?" I asked with a smile.

"I'm Eena," Leena said before tucking her head back into her father's shoulder.

"It's very nice to meet you, Leena," I said as I left the counter and stood in front of her, holding my hand out to her, "Can I shake your hand?"

Leena peaked at me and tentatively stuck her hand out, letting me gently shake her head.

"I'm Rose," I said gently. Leena's big blue eyes stared at me and she nodded her head before cuddling back into Dimitri.

"How'd you get in?" I asked Dimitri.

"Your mother let me in. I thought maybe you wanted to come with us to the winter festival?"

"You want me to come with the two of you to the winter festival?" I asked with a smile. Dimitri smiled at me and nodded.

"I thought it would be fun," he said, "Plus, I think Leena needs some adult female interaction that isn't Lissa. If that's okay with you?"

I looked at Leena and then back at him. "You're okay with introducing someone into Leena's life?"

"I doubt that you would leave blind. I have a feeling that you'll be back around more often," he said, "But again, only if you're comfortable with it."

I nodded. "Let me go get changed," I said as I slipped out of the kitchen and up the stairs, waving at Janine as she sat in the living room. I threw on clothes quickly before running back down the stairs, tugging a hat onto my head. I felt a surge of happiness knowing that he was okay with letting me meet his daughter, even as his friend.

Dimitri was standing in the living room with Janine. Well, he was standing, Janine was on the floor with Leena, showing her all the different presents under the tree. Leena seemed more than interested with the shiny paper and ribbons, and Janine didn't seem to care about the ribbons being untied.

"Ready?" I asked as I stepped into the living room. Dimitri turned to me and smiled.

"Of course. Your mother was showing Leena all the presents," he said and I stepped into the room.

"They're pretty, aren't they?"

Leena nodded and was then mesmerized when Janine turned the lights on the tree. We had the setting on so that the golden lights would fade in and out to the coloured lights. Leena was in a trance as she watched the lights change, her mouth hanging open as she watched.

"Leena likes Christmas lights?"

"Loves them. I put my tree up the first day of November, and there are lights in her room too," Dimitri whispered, smiling as he looked at Leena. We let her look at the lights for a few more minutes before Dimitri coxed her from the tree, promising that we would see more lights at the festival.

"Do you want me to bring anything back for you?" I asked Janine as I pulled my boots on.

"Sure," Janine said as she leaned against the archway separating the hall and the living room, smiling at Leena once she got her boots on.

The festival was exactly what I remembered it being. It was fun and exciting, full of lights and vendors. It seemed different as a kid, but as an adult, it was the same. There were food trucks and snowman building contents, ice skating and sleigh rides for the kids.

It was cute watching Dimitri interact with his daughter. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do first, but she floated from one attraction to the next. She was in awe of everything that she saw, her mouth gaped open like it was at my parents' house.

The sweetest was when Dimitri bought her cotton candy and she pulled a piece off, holding it out to him. His smile was soft but the fullest I had ever seen it as he took it from her.

"Do you want to go on any of the rides?" I asked her as I crouched down next to her, pulling her hat up so that it wasn't falling in her face anymore. She sniffed and her breath puffed out in a cloud in front of her.

"Horse?"

I looked up at Dimitri and he nodded.

"I'm too big, but you could go with Rose if you want?" Dimitri said. She wasn't quite old enough to go on these rides alone yet, but I was still small enough to go with her. Leena looked at me and then at her dad before nodding slowly. I extended my hand to her and took her to stand in line, picking her up after a moment and perching her on my hip so she could see the horses.

"Which one do you think is pretty?" I asked her. Leena pointed at a black one with white spots. Once we got to the front of the line, we got situated on the horse. It wasn't in a circle like most fairs, it was a loop around the festival, which was why I was able to get on with her.

I held her tight to me as we rode, pointing out things to her as we passed them. It felt surreal. I couldn't imagine a parent letting a new woman in their life do something like this, but I guess at the same time, I wasn't new in Dimitri's life. And we were just friends.

Leena ran her mitts over the horse's mane, a squeal of excitement coming from her as she tried to lean forward to wrap her arms around the horse's neck. I loosened my arms just enough for her to hug the horse before pulling her back upright.

Dimitri was waiting for us once we looped back, a smile on his face as he lifted Leena off the horse's back.

"How was that?" Dimitri asked her enthusiastically.

I wasn't sure if actual words came out of her mouth, but I knew that whatever she said was in excitement and glee. Dimitri kissed her head and set her on her feet, dwarfing her hand in his as we walked towards one of the hot beverage vendors.

Dimitri ordered us all hot chocolates and we found a table to sit at. I smiled at Leena and pulled my gloves off and sipped my hot chocolate.

"It's starting to get cold," I mused quietly, my breath puffing out. Even though it was midafternoon, the overcast with the falling snow made it feel darker. It didn't help with the cold feeling either.

"It is, we should get going soon. It's going to get dark. While I know that Leena would love to see everything at night, it's too cold for her," he said.

I nodded and glanced around at the people walking by. Some I recognized, some I didn't. Many of the people who lived here when I was in high school, all stayed. Though, there was one that I noticed and I ducked down, trying to be obvious, but trying not to be seen. They weren't from here.

"What is it?"

"My now ex-best friend is here," I whispered, my eyes flicking behind him. Dimitri waited a moment before casually looking behind him and then back at me.

"Which one?"

"Blonde. Wearing the pink coat and looks completely out of place with stiletto boots," I said quietly, looking into the cup.

"She looks like she walked out of a bad Hallmark movie. Is she the one you found with…"

"She's always over-dressed and yes," I muttered. Dimitri shook his head and glanced at his watch.

"I'm going to run over and get another bag of that cotton candy for Leena. Do you mind sitting with her for a few minutes?"

"Of course not," I said with a smile. Dimitri got up and headed towards the stand with all the candy. I looked at Leena and smiled at her. She looked just like him, but had the Ozera eyes. her lashes were long and thick, and the red in her cheeks from the cold just added to the cuteness. I took off my gloves and broke up the cinnamon pretzel Dimitri bought her into smaller pieces. She was struggling to break more off with her mittens on.

I was amazed by her. She loved everything that was provided to her, and when Dimitri shared the pretzel with her, her eyes looked like globs. I licked the cinnamon off my fingers and glanced towards where Brittney was but didn't see her. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked my phone when it pinged. There was a notification on my Instagram, and I checked it, finding that it was Brittney that I saw.

I saw Leena move on the chair beside me before she tumbled. I tossed my phone and leaned over to try and catch her, falling out of the chair myself.

Leena fell face-first into the gravelly snow and I fell onto my knee. Leena's tears were instant, and my heart plummeted into my chest. I scooped her up and noticed the blood on her lip. Her crocodile tears were spilling down her cheeks as I checked her lip, checking to make sure that her tooth didn't puncture too badly.

"It's okay," I soothed her gently as I stood up, setting her on the table and grabbing the napkins that were beside my coffee cup.

Leena's cries weren't loud, but they were loud enough that I felt terrible. I dabbed at her lip and then took another look, looking around her teeth just to check. Once I was finished I wiped her tears.

"It's going to be okay. It's just a sting now, but it'll be better soon," I soothed. Leena pouted and reached for me, clinging to me when I picked her up. She rested her head on my shoulder and swung her legs around my waist, her arms tight around my neck.

I rubbed my hand over her back and felt a small flutter of panic as Dimitri returned.

"I looked at my phone for just a second and she fell off the chair," I explained. Dimitri nodded, his brows slightly pinched as she moved around so he could see Leena's face.

"She bit her lip pretty badly. I checked her mouth to make sure it wasn't too deep and didn't crack any teeth."

Dimitri stroked Leena's cheek and ducked his head down so she could see him.

"You okay, baby?" he asked.

Leena nodded her head and sniffed a few times. Dimitri moved to take her from me, but she gripped me tighter, shaking her head.

Dimitri stopped and let her bed, rubbing his hand over her back soothingly.

"It's okay, accidents happen. And Leena is clumsy. It's okay," Dimitri said reassuringly. I nodded but still felt terrible.