After being reborn, I make up my mind to stop chasing after my husband and daughter

Chapter 19

My morning dance class left me drenched and pleasantly loose–limbed.

Come noon, I called Sally about whether Yvonne was coming home.

“Yvonne’s at the amusement park with Tracy,” Sally informed me. “You should give Tracy a call.”

Tracy had become like a second mother to Yvonne–genuinely devoted and always making time for her.

Not that I hadn’t been that mother once. There was a time when my world revolved around parent–teacher conferences and bedtime stories too.

I didn’t call Tracy. If my daughter smiled more with her, who was I to interfere?

I was about to eat alone when my phone buzzed with an unknown number.

“Hello. Is that Victoria Murphy?” The male voice on the line was warm and unfamiliar.

“Speaking,” I answered automatically before catching myself. “May I ask who’s calling?”

“I’m the student you sponsored years ago.” The earnestness in his voice prickled my skin. “I was hoping we might have lunch today.”

The pause stretched too long. I’d never wanted gratitude, and now wasn’t the time to revisit the past–not when I had my own reasons to keep my distance.

In my previous life, I’d seen enough online stories about scholarship recipients turning on their benefactors to last a lifetime.

“It’s just lunch,” he said, lowering his voice when he caught my hesitation. “No strings attached.”

“I’m married,” I said quickly. “Meeting men alone… it wouldn’t look right.”

“Bring a friend then,” he offered.

Though I could hear the genuine gratitude in his voice, I calmly refused. “Meeting isn’t necessary. The best repayment is you succeeding,” I said, and hung up before he could argue.

afternoon, Jared called. “Yvonne fell. Her leg’s hurt. Meet us

“How?” My stomach dropped.

soon as he finished, the hospital

mother, I knew

I arrived at the hospital, Yvonne was curled against Jared, quietly crying with her leg

me, her

the edge of the hospital

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so sorry,” Tracy said, her voice thick with remorse. “I should have been watching her

comfort her. “We all know how Yvonne is, always climbing where she

grew red as silent tears

to exhaustion. She fell asleep in my

me carefully, clearly worried I’d blame Tracy. “Victoria,” he said quickly,

nearly laughed at his protectiveness. Did he really think I’d play the

sorry, Mrs. Holcomb.” Tracy’s

both held their breath, waiting for my reaction. In my previous life, when Yvonne was my entire world, I

to Tracy. “Thank you for watching

silence was almost

when I didn’t give her the dramatic scene

in my previous life–playing the fragile victim while needling me into outbursts that only

my fault,” Tracy said with theatrical remorse,

When she snapped her head up, I

you take Tracy home

reasonable tone and unexpected kindness toward Tracy clearly caught Jared

now,” Jared said. Whether out of guilt or self–reproach, he sent her

choice but to leave, though not without

against the raised hospital bed, I closed my eyes, our daughter

take her,” Jared offered suddenly. “You should

find Jared leaning in to carefully transfer our sleeping child from