It has been two years since she has last heard from Edmund, after his last phone call to her, and after hearing his voice, words dripping with the desire for revenge, every movement around her was alarming, she held her breath every time the phone rang, every morning newspaper was scanned with her heart beating so loudly she heard it in her ears, looking for his name, his picture, any news about him.
And although she hadn't failed to sound strong and intimidating over the phone, threatening him right back, her words biting him where it hurts, she had no plan to actually go after him, it was too much to risk, she had something to stay for- someone to stay for.
After a few months of waking up sweating and crying from her haunted nightmares, being held and comforted by Gwendolyn, hearing her soft whispers that were dropped in her hair, assuring her that it's okay, she's safe, he's not here, he's never coming back, Mildred started believing it herself, convincing herself that this dark part of her life was finally over, and that she was safe, and that he wasn't here, that Edmund was never coming back into her life.
And in the back of her mind, Mildred knew this wasn't the end. She knew her brother more than anyone in the world, she knew everything about him, his soft laugh when they used to hide behind the sofa and play together, how his eyes gloomed when he looked at the rain in foggy windows, the sound of his muffled cries when he was beaten, how red his face got when he got defensive or embaressed and the lengths he'd go to to protect the people he loved, but most importantly she knew his determination to do anything he put his mind into, and she knew that if he wanted to kill her. He would've.
Days became months and her heart stopped racing when she heard an unfamilliar sound, her nightmares stopped and she no longer saw his face in ever direction she turned, she started smiling more often, her restless eyes that were always focused seemed brighter now, softer, like they were made of honey.
She started spending time in the kitchen as well, it started off as a joke when Gwendolyn suggested that Mildred should make dinner that night, "you can't cook if your life depended on it" she laughed, but Mildred wanted to prove her wrong, especially since at the time Gwendolyn was still going through chemotherapy and was sometimes too tired to make anything, so she took up a few classes from a lady that lived next to them- who they grew to love and depend on when they needed something, Miss Mellon was kind enough to teach Mildred the most basic things when it comes to the kitchen, "Mildred dear you can't boil a chicken with some salt on top and call it a day, I wouldn't come near that if my life depended on it. We're not in war". Sometimes she'd bring dinner over- when Gwen was tired and she didn't want Mildred to burn down their apartment, and she'd sit and talk with the couple.
Eventually Mildred started mastering the reciepes Miss Mellon would give her, she'd bake and cook all day, just to see Gwendolyn's smile when she presented the food at the dinner table, even after Gwendolyn finished her treatment, she still offered to make dinner every single night.
Mildred started healing, she knew she'd never heal fully, her past will always haunt her in some ways, but she was starting to feel things she never knew were real, feelings she'd read about or seen from afar, her mind rejecting the idea that these feelings could be real because she never experienced them and thought she never will, but then again, she hadn't yet met Gwendolyn when she thought all those things.
Gwendolyn taught her the love she thought she would never have, how to embrace the feelings she thought for so long were forbidden, how to be kind to herself, and love herself, because God knew how much she loved her.
"Looking good today, Mildred" she whispered to herself in the mirror as she applied her nude colored lipstick, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and instantly smiled, Gwendolyn dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder and Mildred could feel her smile on her skin, "you sure do" Gwendolyn chuckled softly.
"How about oysters for dinner tonight?" the woman raised her eyebrow as a slight knowing chuckle escaped her lips. She was finally healing. And she was finally happy.