Chapter 64

“But I hope you can show me some love too, and try to understand what I have been through,” I said as I gently patted her head. Yvonne just stared at me with a blank face. Then she slowly nodded. “Okay, I will, Mommy.”

So I brought her home. I thought maybe something from how I raised her had finally gotten through. Yvonne seemed a little more grown-up. At the very least, she wasn’t having random meltdowns anymore.

That night, I bathed her and let her play on the bed while I went to take a shower. When I came out, I noticed she wasn’t in the room. My heart jumped. I walked fast to her bedroom. It was empty. Finally, I heard her voice coming from the media room. Cartoons were playing, and I could hear her talking on the phone.

“A robot toy? One that dances and talks to me? That’s so cool. I want it. Tracy, when are you coming back? You said you’d take me to the zoo last time. Do you still remember?” “I wish my mom were even half as nice as you. She’s been super mean lately.” “Can you tell my dad to talk to her? Tell him to teach her not to be so mean to me.” “Hey, your birthday’s coming up, right? I asked Grandma for some allowance money. I wanna buy you a present.” “You want me to draw something for you?” “Okay! I’ll draw a rose, and I’ll make you a necklace too. Do you like that?”

My face fell when I heard that. I turned around quietly and walked back to my room. A few minutes later, Yvonne came in. She saw me sitting at my vanity and ran over to play with my makeup. “Mommy, when are you gonna buy me a lipstick? I wanna wear your pretty perfume too!” I grabbed some baby lotion and rubbed it on her cheeks and arms. “Time for bed now. Mommy’ll be done soon.” “Mommy, I was just watching cartoons,” she said all of a sudden, like she was nervous and needed to explain herself. I nodded. “Okay, but go to sleep early. You’ve got school tomorrow.”

She saw I didn’t question her, so she crawled onto my bed and fell asleep quickly. I couldn’t sleep at all. Tracy’s birthday was coming up, and Yvonne was thinking about getting her a gift. She cared a lot.

My birthday’s in November. Last year, Yvonne threw a fit and cried during my birthday dinner because she didn’t get to blow out the candles. My brother did. She didn’t give me any gifts. People are different. Yvonne, even as a kid, already knew how to be sweet to Tracy. But when it came to me, her mom, what she wanted was just my total, unconditional love.

The next morning, I dropped Yvonne off at school and then jumped straight into work. For the hotel’s lobby and hallway, I used a designer from Falansia. The whole vibe was romantic, and the colors were just right, classy but still modern. Handling all the little details took a lot of brainpower. But I gave it my all. I wasn’t about to give up halfway. I was pushing myself, seeing what I was capable of. I didn’t believe that someone who used to be a top student could turn out to be useless.

Time flew. Jared came back from his business trip. He showed up at the office that afternoon, still looking sharp and confident. He had a hint of tiredness on his face, but he worked straight through until 9 p.m. Yvonne got picked up around 4 and brought to Jared’s office. Tracy stayed with her for a while. By the time I came back from the Harmonia Hotel, Tracy was teaching Yvonne a song. Yvonne was taking it seriously and trying. “Mrs. Holcomb,” Tracy stood up when she saw me. “Are you here to take Yvonne home?” “Mommy, can Tracy sing with me a little more?” Yvonne was having so much fun, and she didn’t want to leave yet. I nodded. “Sure, go ahead. I’m heading out. You can ride back with Daddy later.” “Yay!” Yvonne ran over and gave me a big hug. “Bye, Mommy.” Tracy looked at me with a kind of complicated expression, but she didn’t say anything. She just stayed with Yvonne.

When I got home, I took a shower, had some oatmeal, and checked on the renovation work in my new dance studio. I planned to use it every morning and night for yoga and dancing. I’d added some workout equipment on the side. Wearing a light yoga outfit, I was doing a pretty tough pose when I suddenly heard Jared’s voice behind me. “It’s late. You’re still working out?”