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.

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

“How?” My stomach dropped.

As soon as he finished, the hospital location appeared on my

Yvonne’s mother, I knew she needed me

at the hospital, Yvonne was curled against Jared, quietly crying

for me, her

on the edge of the hospital bed and

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thick with remorse. “I should have been watching her more closely

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

eyes grew red as silent

must have cried herself to exhaustion. She fell asleep in my

watched me carefully, clearly worried I’d blame Tracy. “Victoria,” he said quickly, “Tracy was just trying to help

Did he really think I’d

sorry, Mrs. Holcomb.” Tracy’s voice trembled with

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

Tracy. “Thank you for watching

silence

disappointed when I didn’t give her the dramatic

the fragile victim while

Tracy said with theatrical remorse,

mid–bow, forcing her upright. When she snapped her head up, I saw

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

reasonable tone and unexpected kindness toward Tracy

guilt or self–reproach, he sent her away but

had no choice but to leave, though not without one last resentful look

closed my eyes,

take her,” Jared offered

my eyes to find Jared leaning in