Chapter 2

Valeria never expected Selena to suddenly say those words. Looking into Selena's eyes, Valeria froze. Then, it occurred to her. Even though Selena was small and frail from years of struggling with a heart condition, she was still six years old. As she grew, Selena became increasingly sensitive to the absence of a father figure in her life. The excuse that Valeria had always used, which was that Selena's father went somewhere far away, had gradually turned into a white lie that couldn't hold up much longer. In Valeria's drawer was a photo of her and Sebastian together, which Selena had seen before. However, she never thought that Selena would remember it. It was a photo from high school of the top three students in the class. She had cut out the third person, leaving only the two of them. Valeria also hadn't expected that she would ever encounter Sebastian again, especially with Selena with her. The bus screeched to a sudden halt, and she pulled Selena close and shielded her. Then, after a moment's pause, she replied, "No, he's not." "But Mommy, that doctor looks so much like Daddy," Selena replied. Valeria went quiet for a few seconds before forcing out, "He just looks like him, that's all…" … When they got home, Valeria knocked on Lucy Clark's door downstairs. Lucy was an old lady who lived alone and had a notoriously difficult personality. She was well-known throughout the neighborhood. Two years ago, when Valeria was trying to enroll her daughter in kindergarten, she ran into a problem with the registration. She met Shane Cooper by chance at the time. Shane's father was critically ill and wanted to see his son married before he passed. Needing to go abroad soon for work, Shane offered Valeria a deal, which was to marry him quickly and divorce just as quickly, fulfilling his father's final wish. She met Shane's father, and the old man passed away that very night. Lucy had been furious when she found out her son had arranged a sham marriage. However, knowing it had brought her husband peace in his final moments, she let it go eventually. After that, Shane left the country for work, and she continued living here alone. Seeing Valeria raising Selena by herself, Lucy offered Valeria the attic apartment upstairs. Even though Valeria paid rent as usual, their relationship changed one day when Lucy choked on some nuts and Valeria saved her. After that, Lucy grew much fonder of them. The house was an old, cramped duplex. There was no elevator and no shared amenities, but the rent was cheap. Lucy lived downstairs, and the attic upstairs had two small rooms and a little terrace where Valeria and Selena stayed. There was even a separate entrance. … Later, while Valeria was heating up some food she had prepared in advance for lunch, Lucy walked in. "Selena's growing up now. You should get that surgery done for her soon. I can lend you the money if you don't have it. Just treat it as a loan." Valeria knew Lucy had some savings, but those were for emergencies. If she gave it all to fund Selena's surgery, what would happen if Lucy suddenly needed it? So, even though Valeria was deeply grateful for the offer, she still shook her head and politely declined. … That afternoon, Valeria arrived at L&M Design Studio on the 15th floor of the Golden Lux Building. As soon as she stepped inside, her coworker, Lindsey Meyer, walked over. "Valeria, Ms. Lawson wants to see you in her office." Sabrina Lawson was their design director, and also Valeria's direct superior. When Valeria knocked and entered, Sabrina was still on her call. Glancing at Valeria, Sabrina gestured for her to wait. Valeria sat down and looked at her watch. It took Sabrina 13 minutes before she finished her call. Sabrina then said, "Valeria, the client rejected the last design draft your team submitted. Redo it. I expect it on my desk by next week. The designs are too safe and don't stand out. "Add something edgy, like polka dots or dark embroidery. Anything unusual will do." "Ms. Lawson, Garment Hall's brand ethos is elegance and sophistication. They cater to women over the age of thirty. We've already incorporated feedback from the marketing and sales teams," Valeria replied. "Who's the director here? You or me?" Sabrina cut her off coldly. … Back at her workstation, Valeria relayed the new instructions to her teammates, drawing a collective groan. Queenie Lurn, who sat opposite Valeria, frowned. "Seriously? What kind of aesthetic is that? Dark embroidery with polka dots? Garment Hall is supposed to be graceful and elegant, and that's just tacky." "Right? And we're the ones who'll have to clean up this mess later." "I heard she's about to be featured in a fashion magazine's weekend piece for her rise as a designer." "She's just playing around here because she's a friend of one of L&M's partners, Nathan Ford." "Keep your voices down." Valeria stayed late at the office that night. At some point, Selena video-called her from Lucy's phone to tell her she'd already had dinner. Lindsey passed by and even waved to Selena on the screen, secretly marveling again. After three years of working together, she was still stunned that Valeria had a six-year-old daughter. Given her fair skin and her beauty, Valeria appeared like a fresh college graduate, not someone who had a child of that age. Lindsey patted Valeria on the shoulder. "Alright, go home to your daughter. We'll finish up and leave in half an hour, too." … On the subway ride home, Valeria's phone buzzed again. She thought it was a message from Selena, but it turned out to be from an old high school classmate. This particular social media account had no connections to her past life, since she had cut ties with everyone from before. Except for one person, Taylor Walker, her only friend from high school. Taylor sent her a long voice message, "Your high school classmates are planning a reunion. Luke couldn't reach you and came asking for your information. I told him I didn't know, but you wouldn't believe the rumors. Some of them are even saying you died. "What nonsense. They probably wouldn't recognize you if you stood in front of them now. You're so slim and gorgeous." It was as if Jane had vanished from the world for seven years. Valeria was silent in thought for a moment before she typed back, "Let them believe Jane is dead." No one had ever truly liked Jane, not even Valeria herself. She had changed her name, shed her old self, and wanted to leave that version of her behind forever. Taylor sent another message. "I heard that Sebastian might show up too. He's back in the country now. Do you want to come? Honestly, with how you look now, he probably wouldn't recognize you." Taylor had been Valeria's high school friend from a neighboring class. They had kept in contact the whole time, and she had even attended Taylor's wedding. Not being able to recognize Valeria at first, Taylor was shocked to see how the once-chubby girl had transformed into such a beauty. Valeria's fingers hesitated on the screen, looking at the name. She was tempted to mention that she'd already met Sebastian, but she merely typed in reply, "Not going."