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.

“How?” My stomach dropped.

soon as he finished, the

Yvonne’s mother, I knew

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

1 entered, Yvonne immediately reached for me, her small voice breaking. “Mom, hold

the hospital bed and cradled

1/3

said, her voice thick with remorse. “I

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

eyes grew red as

cried herself to exhaustion. She fell asleep in

clearly worried I’d blame Tracy. “Victoria,” he said quickly, “Tracy was just trying to help with Yvonne. Don’t

Did he really think

Mrs. Holcomb.”

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

hair and then turned to Tracy. “Thank

silence

disappointed when I didn’t give her the

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

fault,” Tracy said with theatrical remorse, tears streaming

When she snapped her head up, I saw the frustrated realization in her eyes–her

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

toward Tracy clearly

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

not without

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

her,” Jared offered suddenly.

to find Jared leaning in to carefully transfer