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.

by myself. At three in the afternoon, Jared called. “Yvonne fell. Her

“How?” My stomach dropped.

he finished, the hospital location appeared on

Yvonne’s mother, I knew she needed me

quietly crying with her

entered, Yvonne immediately reached for me,

on the edge of the hospital bed

1/3

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

spoke up to comfort her. “We all know how Yvonne is,

red as silent

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

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

nearly laughed at his protectiveness. Did he

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

previous life, when Yvonne was my entire world, I

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

stunned silence was

didn’t give her the dramatic scene she

her act in my previous life–playing the fragile victim while needling me into

Tracy said with theatrical remorse, tears streaming as

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

said, looking up calmly, “why don’t you take Tracy

kindness toward Tracy clearly caught Jared off guard.

guilt or self–reproach, he sent her away but

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

closed my eyes, our daughter secure

Jared offered suddenly. “You should

in to carefully transfer our sleeping child from