Simon always had some grand plan up his sleeve, and it was definitely not about me.
I rolled over, letting out a contented sigh.
The Hoffman family was a nosy bunch with rigid, harsh rules.
Whenever I visited their old mansion, I had to wait on the men hand and foot until I could nibble on the leftovers.
However, there and then, my parents were in the kitchen, all smiles, cooking up a storm just to give their daughter a taste of
something warm and hearty.
1/2
Chapter 10
The thought brought a tear to my eye.
+15 Bonus
I should have listened to them from the start. I would not have lost nearly ten years, transforming from an innocent girl to a
mother of a six–year–old.
Thank goodness I woke up in time.
Nicole burst into the room, her face lit up with a joy I had not seen in ages.
She had just finished playing with her friends, a sheen of sweat on her brow.
At the Hoffmans‘, she would be bogged down with endless etiquette lessons, never allowed to romp around like that.
Nicole dashed over to me, her grin wide and her voice filled with the innocence of youth. “Mommy, I love it here!”
I took out a tissue and gently dabbed at her forehead, my smile soft and warm.
“That’s great, Nicole. As long as you’re happy. We’re going to make this our home. Do you like living with Grandma?”
Nicole nodded her head with all the enthusiasm her little neck could muster.
Just then, my mother’s knock at the door came with a hint of trouble in her tone.
“The Hoffman kid is at the door… Lily, would you mind checking?”
