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.

a peaceful lunch by myself. At three in the afternoon, Jared called. “Yvonne fell. Her leg’s hurt. Meet us at the

“How?” My stomach dropped.

finished, the hospital location

Yvonne’s mother, I knew she needed

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

for me, her small voice breaking. “Mom,

on the edge of the hospital bed and cradled her

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

“We all know how Yvonne is, always climbing

grew red as

to exhaustion. She fell asleep in

Tracy. “Victoria,” he said quickly, “Tracy was just trying to

laughed at his protectiveness. Did he really

so sorry, Mrs. Holcomb.” Tracy’s voice

Yvonne was my entire world, I would have torn Tracy apart for letting Yvonne get hurt. Now I barely had the energy to

smoothed Yvonne’s tousled hair and then turned to Tracy. “Thank you for watching her. She’s a handful

silence was

disappointed when I didn’t give her the dramatic

victim while needling me into outbursts that only

fault,” Tracy said with theatrical remorse, tears streaming as she made a

her shoulders mid–bow, forcing her upright. When she snapped her head up, I saw the frustrated realization in her eyes–her performance

said, looking up calmly, “why don’t you take Tracy home now? I’ll stay

unexpected kindness toward Tracy clearly caught

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

no choice but to leave, though not without

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

me take her,” Jared offered

Jared leaning in to carefully transfer our sleeping child from