Бесплатный фрагмент - Second chance

Prologue

The past

I took the book and ran into the gardens. I had to walk and it took me over an hour. I didn’t care, as long as I was away from my family.

I’m tired of all this. I’m tired of the eternal reproaches against me. For my father, there is only one child, this is his son, and I am like that… a bargaining chip. That’s my only joy, it’s to escape from everything into the garden. No one will bother me here for sure. And sometimes I can watch him… The man who stole my heart. My Marcus.

More precisely, he is not mine and never will be, but no one forbids dreaming.

“Princess,” I start when I hear a familiar voice.

“Marcus,” I say as I exhale.

“Have you come again, delight of my eyes?” just his voice sent a crowd of goosebumps all over my body. I don’t understand why I’m reacting like this to him. Only at him, “I knew I’d find you here.”

“Really? Are you really following me?”

“Why would I do that?” he was genuinely surprised, and I was embarrassed. And really why would he do that? There’s a crowd of girls running after him, he clearly doesn’t need one that’s impregnable. And who said that he even likes me? “I know you, that’s why I was waiting here. To be honest, I’ve been sitting here for a long time, but nothing. I’m ready to wait for a girl like you for the rest of my life.”

“Really?” putting down the book, I lowered my head down and took some branch and began to drive it along the ground- and why would you wait for me?

“Don’t you understand?” Marcus sat down next to me and lifted my chin. Now he was looking into my eyes, “because I’m so damn in love with you, Carla.” I held my breath and my heart skipped a beat. Is he in love with me? “and one day I will marry you.”

We sat in this garden until the evening. He was lying on my lap while I read aloud to him. Today was my birthday, and I spent it with the man I was in love with. Let my family prepare some kind of party, I don’t care. It was only here with this young man next to me that I felt happy. His confession is the best gift for me. I was ready to commit my life to such a man.

That day, Marcus gave me my first kiss and gave me hope for a bright future. I had already imagined our life together, but my dreams were shattered by the harsh reality.

Two weeks later, I was married off to a man I didn’t love. To the man who ruined my life.

I didn’t hear about Marcus anymore, but as it turned out, life is an unpredictable thing.

Chapter 1

A glass of wine and pasta with seafood. Beautiful view of the sea and solitude. My usual evening.

I wanted it myself, I wanted peace. That’s just that my rest has been delayed. It’s the same thing every day. It’s time for me to go back, I just need to find a new house. I could have stayed with my son, but Adam is already a grown man and I don’t want to embarrass him.

The phone call brought me out of my thoughts. There are only three people who contact me, my son, nephew and daughter-in-law. Usually one of them calls me on the weekend, and this call was not scheduled. I look at the phone “Katarina’.

“Carla” her voice sounds excited.

“Did something happen to the baby?” the girl was pregnant and in a few weeks I had to come to her to help with the birth.

The girl, just like the boys, did not have a mother, so I offered to help her. And I was very pleased that the girl accepted my help. And she agreed not just for show, but really because she wants my help. In recent months, she has been inundating me with questions about what is better to buy for the child, what clothes are more comfortable, what furniture is needed in the nursery. It was nice to immerse myself in it, I began to feel like someone needed me again.

I raised the boys when they were little. But now they have grown up and soon they will have their own children. They don’t need Carla anymore. That’s what I thought until they convinced me to come back.

“No, he’s fine. It’s about Adam…”

“What’s wrong with my son?” my heart began to beat faster. But I quickly calmed myself down. If something terrible had happened, Alexander would have called me himself, or rather he would have come. I know him, he wouldn’t put such a responsibility on his wife.

“He got married and it seems to me that they need a little help to find a contact.”

“Adam got married?” my son got married and didn’t even deign to tell me about it. The wedding could have been an emergency, although I can’t imagine the reason for it, but it could still be. That’s just not to say that he couldn’t help but call-but no one told me.

“I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t talk.”

“However, you called me anyway. What’s the problem?”

“The girl is an outsider, Adam doesn’t let anyone near her, but it seems to me that she needs someone to talk to. It’s a huge stress for her.”

“Outsider, stress, what’s going on anyway?” I understand nothing.

“Just come, please. Will you help?”

“Naturally, I will help, now I will buy a plane ticket and pack my things. I will send all the information by SMS.”

“Thank you” it was heard that the girl exhaled as if she thought that I could refuse. I will never refuse to help my children.

“I’ll see you soon.”

It didn’t take me long to pack. And no matter how much I refuse, Alexander sent his plane. The flight was scheduled for the morning, but the weather turned out to be flightless. I had to wait a long time at the airport, my security was with me, but she did not entertain me in any way. They were all very professional and apparently they were given clear instructions. I invited them to have dinner with me many times, but each time they politely refused me. I could have ordered it, but I never used my power. Only sometimes they took my pastries, I cooked more than I could eat.

“Miss Miller, the plane is ready, the flight is allowed.”

The flight was easy, even though I haven’t flown for a long time, and I did it very rarely. It’s only a couple of hours to fly, but I still managed to doze off. I was gently woken up by the stewardess.

“Will they meet me or will they just send us a car?”

“Mrs. Black and her brother will meet you.” interesting. Katarina and I have already met when she and her husband visited me. But I haven’t met her brother yet, and I’ve heard very little about him. I’m curious to meet him.

“Finally,” Katarina was running towards me, supporting her big belly with her hands.

“Honey, why are you rushing like that? You need to take care of yourself, and you were running away here.”

“I’m careful, it was just a quick step. I was just worried that the flight was delayed.”

“It wasn’t delayed in the air, I just waited at the airport. There’s a cafe there. So there’s nothing for me to invent here.”

“And what did I tell you?” I start to look at the man. He is not a young man, he is more like a man. He is tall, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, in which a small green is visible. Apparently he took it from his mother, because Katarina’s eyes are green. Only the man’s eyes were sad, even though he tried to keep a friendly face.

“You must be Mark,” I held out my hand for a handshake. He smiled and gave me his hand. I can’t deny that he was very attractive. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely try to seduce him-it’s very nice to meet you.

“The flight wasn’t long, but I would have had a snack anyway. Let’s go to the cafe, and there you can tell me everything. I would like to be prepared before meeting my son and… daughter-in-law.”

I still can’t believe that my son got married. I talked to him about two months ago, and he replied that he likes his life now and he is not ready to connect his life with someone yet. Therefore, I did not insist, and I had no right to do so. This is his life. The last thing I want is for him to repeat my mistake and marry someone he didn’t choose himself.

“Yes, I would love to have a snack. There is a very nice cafe nearby, where no one will disturb us.”

Chapter 2

“Tell me” we have time to talk while we were waiting for the order. Katarina is right, she brought me to a very cozy place, with separate booths. I haven’t been to the city for a long time, it looks like I’ll need to study it again, since I don’t remember this institution.

“In short, Adam met a girl when he was doing a job. Apparently, she made a strong impression on him, because when the debt was transferred to this particular girl, he was going to pay it himself. It’s against the rules, my husband was against it accordingly, then Adam said he would marry her. That’s how he got married. Unfortunately, no one asked the girl, but she behaved very decently and did not throw any tantrums, but simply did what was required of her.”

“And what is she like?” the girl could only play a role, but actually lure my son into her snares. Or is she really a victim of circumstances.

“Lana, very good.” Katarina had a talent for reading people. She always knew exactly what kind of person was in front of her. Judging by what Adam was saying, no one had been able to deceive her yet. That’s probably why she trusted me right away, she saw that I didn’t want to hurt her-you’ll see for yourself. She’s clean and open, which is why I broke my promise and called you. I’m afraid our world might break her, she’s too innocent for this kind of life.

“Lana” I try her name on my tongue. Beautiful “and how does she feel about my son? And how does he treat her?” Adam grew up seeing how his father treated me. I could have tried to hide it, or rather I would have, but his father… he didn’t even try to behave properly. Therefore, I am sure that he will not harm the girl, at least not intentionally. Sometimes men don’t notice the obvious and behave like cavemen.

“They’re trying to find a common language, that’s what I’ve noticed. Adam is in love, Lana feels attracted, but I haven’t seen them for a long time.”

“First love, it’s great.” Mark turned away.

“Excuse me, I urgently need to go to the ladies room.” the girl got up and went to the toilet.

“And what happened to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Mark tensed.

“You have very sad eyes, and when I said about first love, you turned away. You know, a person with a broken heart always recognizes a person with the same diagnosis.”

“I don’t have a broken heart,” he took a sip of water from a glass, “maybe I don’t have it.”

“Maybe so,” I shrugged, “if you don’t have a heart, then someone has it in storage. Maybe it’s time for you to take it back, well, and the girls at the same time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I grinned.

“Didn’t you miss it? This child is pushing me wherever he can.”

“It’s okay, I understand you. If you remember, I went through it.”

“That’s right. And now it’s under a meter ninety weighing a hundred kilograms.” We laughed.

“You know, I miss not only Adam very much, but also all my boys. It would be nice to have a dinner together.”

“A good idea” the girl immediately perked up, “so tomorrow night we will arrange it with us. Let’s say it’s on the occasion of your arrival. The perfect opportunity to get everyone together.”

“Mark, will you join us?” he looked at me and then at his sister. Back at me and back at my sister.

“I take it that I have no choice?”

“Do you understand correctly” I gave him a sincere smile.

After a small snack, we were going to go straight to my son. Except Mark couldn’t accompany us. Therefore, we went further, accompanied by his friend.

“Michael? Did I remember correctly?” the man who helped me get into the car winced.

“Call me Mike. I don’t like my full name.”

“I’ll keep in mind,” I got into the back seat with Katarina.

“We haven’t discussed this, but how long are you here?” The girl put her hands on her stomach.

“I remember that I promised to be present at the birth and after,” she shouldn’t worry about it.

“I just thought you might want to stay here for a while. You should be… It’s none of my business.”

“Boring. Is that what you wanted to say?” She nodded, “you’re right about me actually… boring” I’m not old enough to admit that I’m lonely and I want to find a soul mate.

Yes, that’s right. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and decided it’s time to get out of my shell. One day I looked in the mirror and realized that my whole life was passing me by. I’m only forty, I’m in great physical shape for my age. And I haven’t felt the warmth of a man’s body for too long, and what I remember about this process terrifies me. But maybe it’s time to try again.

Many people like sex, but I do not know what it is to enjoy it. My husband made sure that I only felt pain during the whole process. It was only when I learned to tolerate that he stopped touching me. It took years before I decided to test my boundaries myself. Now I am a woman with an expensive shower head, I must admit that this is the only thing I decided on. I always have security with me and my parcels are checked. I would burn with shame if someone found out that I bought myself a vibrator.

“We have arrived.”

So the moment has come when I will meet my future daughter-in-law. We got up and I rang the doorbell. The door opened and my son appeared in front of me. His eyes were like two big saucers.

“Mom?”

“And I’m glad to see you, son.” I kissed him on the cheek and went into the living room.

A beautiful girl, small in stature and wearing a large men’s T-shirt, also came out of the master bedroom. I looked at her, and then I met her eyes.

“So you’re my son’s wife?”

Chapter 3

“Mom, couldn’t you have warned me about your arrival?” Adam shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. If I had warned him, it wouldn’t have been so funny. An adult man stands there and does not know where to put himself.

“Honey, could you bring my things? We don’t want Mike to go inside right now.” The girl was wearing too few clothes for my son to let another man see her. Katarina’s phone rang, Alexander is most likely worried and wants his wife to return home as soon as possible — my girl, it’s time for you to go home. My sister-in-law is not in the best shape, and your husband is not very patient.

“You’re right, we’ll be waiting for you for dinner tomorrow.”

Katarina quickly retreated, and the girl and I were left alone. The girl was obviously nervous, but she didn’t know that I was nervous too. My only son got married, naturally, I’m nervous when I see his chosen one for the first time.

“Mrs. Miller, would you like some tea?” Well, no way. Only over my dead body will I be called that in my own family.

“Carla, call me Carla. I understand that meeting my husband’s mother is stressful, but I really wanted to surprise you. You don’t have to try to please me, besides, it seems to me that I should be the one to take care of you.” I nodded at the girl’s arm, which was bandaged. On the way, I was told that there had been an accident and the girl had been injured in the explosion.

“Four suitcases, are you back for good?” Adam really looked shocked. Men are such men.

“I’m not ready to come back yet, but I think I’ll change my mind in the near future,” I have already changed, but decided not to tell them about it. I don’t want to scare the young people ahead of time “Besides, soon you will have a lot of free space in your house” my son stared at me uncomprehendingly, “aren’t you going to move into the house? This bachelor’s apartment, it’s not suitable for a family.” Didn’t he think of that? When you create a family, you need to build your own nest. In addition, children need a lot of space.

“I’m not going back to that house,” Adam literally growled.

“Don’t growl at me, young man,” as if I could ever go back to that house myself. I would have burned him for his sweet soul.

“That’s not what I was talking about. I was talking about Mark’s project, he started construction a long time ago, and I see you haven’t even thought about it.” Katarina has been talking about this project for a long time. The Blacks have a large territory, it’s good that the boys decided to live in it. I went into the kitchen and looked into the refrigerator and realized that there was no food there. “I thought so, there is no food. Your wife is injured, and you didn’t take care of her in any way.” It was extremely irresponsible of him.

“Mom, I didn’t have time, I’m going to order a delivery” delivery? Not in my house. Although it’s not really my home.

“No need, I’ll cook the food for our girl myself.”

“I can help,” the little girl croaked. She was really a very petite girl. “I’ll manage on my own, but I won’t mind the company.” Lana went to meet me, but her gait was slow and judging by the way the girl winced painfully. As a woman, I’ve been through this too. “Adam, could you bring some painkillers, I think Lana’s arm is hurting. Isn’t that right, honey?” She nodded slowly.

“Lana? Why didn’t you say you were in pain?” I decided to give them some personal space and went into the kitchen. I was just starting to choose what to cook dinner from when I heard soft footsteps behind me.“Sit down honey,” I put on one of the aprons I found here. Such things were clearly bought by a woman, so Lana does the housework, which speaks in her favor. Although, if she didn’t know how to do it, I wouldn’t care “you don’t mind that I took it, they’re so cute that I can’t promise that I won’t take a couple for myself.”

“Here’s a drink” the son brought painkillers for the girl. His whole demeanor indicated that he cared about her. “Now get out of the kitchen.” I wanted to be alone with Lana. And there is no need for my son to warm his ears here, “I heard that you are a pastry chef.”

“Yes, that’s just…” late I remembered that her pastry shop had blown up. I wanted to keep the conversation going, but it turns out I was reminded of the bad things.

“I heard about it, you must have been very scared? You’re very lucky that you got out on time. Adam would destroy the whole world if something happened to you.”

“Why do you think that?” naive child.

“It is enough to take just one look at him to understand that he is in love. In love with his lovely wife. Only that would make him go against his brother’s wishes. The boys were very close in childhood. “I remember the boys’ childhood with a smile, even though it was a little gloomy.“Cecilia was a bad mother. She preferred to leave her children to take care of herself, so I took care of the boys myself. Four boys, I don’t know how I didn’t go crazy with them. You know, I’ve always dreamed of a girl, she would only be mine. Men ask for sons, but women pray for daughters. It’s safer that way.”

“What do you mean?” She looked extremely lost.

“I’m talking about teaching children. Adam told you that if you have a boy, he will have to follow in his father’s footsteps.” It is clear from her reaction that they have not discussed this yet.

“We haven’t discussed the topic of children yet.”

“I’ve already understood that,” especially considering that today she got to know a man for the first time, “I’m happy that I raised my son with dignity. Not every man is ready to give a woman time to prepare for something like this.”

“Not that it depends on him… oh.”

“You are very open, Lana"too open for our society” I like it, but you will need to learn how to hide your true emotions. Especially in public. They usually teach this, but you grew up in a normal family” the girl tensed up “no, don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame my son for marrying an outsider. I even respect him for that. He had the right to choose, and he made the right decision, unfortunately, not everyone has this choice.”

“Did you really not have it at all? I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”

Did I have a choice? Never. At first, my father decided for me, then my husband and brother. Even now, my son and nephew decide for me. Lana is right. It’s time for me to take life into my own hands.

Chapter 4

Lana jumped up from her seat and started helping me with the cooking. The girl clearly felt awkward asking me a personal question.

“It’s all right. And answering your question, no, I didn’t have any say in the matter of marriage.” She grimaced a little, “I know you didn’t have it either.” She glanced at me warily. I think there was clearly a story in the relationship between my son and this girl, but I won’t get into it.” Katarina told me everything. However, I had to pull information out of her with ticks, apparently she gave her word to my son. The difference between us, honey, is that you were initially attracted to my son, so your union is now flourishing, and my union was doomed to failure. My husband didn’t need me, and no matter how bad it sounds, I didn’t need my husband. Adam doesn’t know, but I was in love with another man, but…” I took a sharp breath. My chest tightened, it happened every time I thought about Marcus-“it wasn’t our destiny to be together.”

“Do you think about him” I frowned “about that man?”

“Sometimes. I like to imagine that everything turned out differently, that I was able to be with the man my heart was drawn to. However, I do not regret marrying someone else, because thanks to this I have a son. The man I gave all my love to” and it’s true. Yes, my marriage was a nightmare, and I was in love with another man, but Adam is my light. And I will not stop praising the Lord that I have him.

Adam appeared in the kitchen as soon as the smell of meat spread outside the kitchen.

“The eternally hungry man” Lana and I laughed. She put the salad ready and sat down at the table. My son, before sitting down next to her, left a light kiss on her temple. It was very gentle.

“I hope Mom doesn’t tell ridiculous stories about me?” It’s a good idea.

“It would be interesting for me to listen.” The girl’s eyes lit up. I like that she wants to know as much as possible about my son.

“That’s when Alexander and Adam were six…”

All the time at dinner, I told stories about the boys’ childhood. Lana is a great listener, Adam was blushing, which was very funny. I watched their interaction and it was wonderful. The way they looked at each other, the light touches. They didn’t even notice that they couldn’t help touching each other. They are in love, which means my son has fulfilled his dream and found a girl he will sincerely love. I was happy for them.

“So how did you get Kat to talk?” That’s what I told him. I won’t pawn the girl.

“This will be our secret with her. In fact, I’m offended that you didn’t tell me about your wedding yourself. I was supposed to be there, and they didn’t even text me. I would like to see at least one photo, although these are also cute,” I pointed to the refrigerator, where there were photos from the photo booth.

“I have a photo on my computer if you want…”

“Of course I do. It seems to me that Lana was a wonderful bride.”

“A real beauty” he turned to his wife and took her hand “my heart missed a damn beat when I saw her in white.”

“Adam” Lana and I screamed at the same time. “Don’t express yourself in front of the ladies. I’m glad that at least one of you knows how to behave,” although I can’t say that it was very nice, albeit rude.

“Well, I’m not ten anymore for you to scold me for swearing. By the way, when were you going to tell us that we all have to attend the Black’s dinner tomorrow?” That’s the catch.

Lana looked seriously scared. “We’re all one family, of course we should all at least have dinner together,” and I should see what my daughter-in-law was so scared of.

The next day we went to the mansion where I was born. My God, is there at least one building in this world that I can call home? Apparently not, because being in the family nest did not bring me joy. I’m glad the boys did the renovation, turning this place into a real home, not a cold castle.

Naturally, when the conversation started, I understood why Lana did not want to go so much. Alexander behaved terribly and I had to teach him a lesson. All of them. Great power, money and lack of advisers made them spoiled. They no longer understand what is good and what is bad. The boundaries have been erased, but I hope that when each of them meets their soulmate, she will show them the right way. I have three boys to put up with. Adam and Alexander have already met their halves, now it’s up to Christopher, Dane and Mark. Yes, I’ve only known him for two days, but I already consider him my child.

A few days after that dinner, I had to return to my house on the coast again to finally pack all my things. After I expressed my decision to stay with my family, everyone accepted it surprisingly well. Alexander offered me to stay with them, so I can help them with the child. He understood that I would not be able to return to the house where I lived with my husband, and he also understood that I did not want to embarrass my son and daughter-in-law with my presence.

But what struck me most was that my room remained the same as I left it. The dust was removed inside, but nothing else has changed. Christopher said that even in their childhood it was always locked, so after the house became theirs, they did not change anything, just made sure that it was always cleaned. My books were on the shelves, and there were still notes on the table that I hadn’t put away.

Chapter 5

I froze on the threshold of my old house.

“Is everything okay?” Mark stopped next to me.

“Yes, just give me a minute.” I couldn’t easily enter this house, but I made an effort and entered the spacious hall.

The house greeted me with silence and a musty smell. No one has been here for several years. This house holds many memories, both good and terrible. I remember how I wanted to leave after my husband’s death, but my brother forbade me to do so. He even forbade me to change my place of residence, and I was obliged to live here. It’s funny, I was being punished for cheating on my husband, whom my brother chose for me. I’ll never be able to figure it out.

“What kind of things are we taking? Do we need to call a truck?” I looked around.

“I don’t think it will be needed. The only valuable thing here are the photo albums. Other things don’t bother me much.”

“Maybe clothes or jewelry?” Mark seemed surprised by my answer.

“Clothes can be thrown away, but jewelry…” I touched the chain with a small pendant. I’ve been wearing this jewelry for more than twenty years and I don’t need more. “We can take the ones that belong to the Black family and give them to the girls. Maybe they’ll need something.”

“The Black family?”

“Yes, what surprises you?” he followed me into the dressing room.

“It’s just that my mother wore my family’s jewelry, my father didn’t even give them to his next wife.” Ross may have been a bastard, but he clearly loved his second wife.

“You’re right, they should have gone to Cecilia, but my brother felt that they should be kept by me, since I’m a true Black” Mark arched an eyebrow “no, he didn’t do it out of great love, he just wanted to rub his wife’s nose. I think I also liked how she always got upset when she saw these trinkets on me.“We reached the dressing room and I opened the safe that was in the wall.

“Wow” it is, yes. Several sets of jewelry appeared in front of us. Necklaces, earrings, rings. My family has always been pompous, they wanted to stand out. Men bought their women only the best, but it would be better if they behaved with dignity with them, not just clinging to diamonds.

“Let’s take this and the albums. There is nothing else of value in this house. It’s time for us to return, the situation in the house is too unstable, they need us.”

The fact was that my Christopher’s wife was in the hands of the enemy. To start from the beginning, a lot has happened this month. Katarina gave birth to a boy, the beautiful Riccardo. My nephew Christopher married a Spanish woman named Andrea. They made a real splash in our world, but they didn’t worry too much about it. But later everything went awry. First Christopher’s kidnapping, and then his wife traded herself for him. And now we are all on alert. As soon as the news gets out, my boys will immediately go after the girl, and Mark and I will be here to guard Katarina and the baby.

Alexander gathers his forces and more and more people come to our house. I’ve seen some familiar faces from my past. It’s amazing how much we’ve all changed in that time. Here we are graduating from school and starting to create our own families, cotton and it has been more than twenty years.

Mark and I quickly packed up the jewelry and albums, everything fit into one big box. You need to call the people who do the cleaning here. I used to have a maid, but I gave up on this a long time ago. In addition, there were young girls in my house who spent more time pleasuring my husband, rather than doing work. I shook my head, pushing away unnecessary memories.

When we got home, Mark helped carry the box to my room.

Katarina’s head appeared in the doorway.

“Yes, more things were stored in the house on the coast. They promised to deliver them the other day. By the way, “I started to take out the velvet boxes, “these are the Black jewelry, distribute them among themselves.”

“These are your jewelry,” I just shook my head and Katarina without further ado began to collect everything.

“Is there any news?” I was very worried about the girl who was in captivity. I understand that she is radically different from me and can stand up for herself, but I’m still worried.

“Not yet, we only know that she is alive. There’s a meeting going on in Alec’s office right now.” I nodded.

“How long have they been there?” Katarina looked at her watch.

“It’s been over an hour.”

“I’m going to make some snacks. A lot of hungry men in one room does not bode well.”

“I’m going to my son, it’s time to feed him.”

“I’ll come to you as soon as I’m done.”

Going into the kitchen, I made some snacks and already put it all on a large tray.

Adam reached for the snacks, but I slapped it.

“Not for you. I’ll take it to the office.”

“I can take them myself” good intentions, and devils are splashing in my eyes.

“No way, Adam. If I give you this tray, only half of it will reach the office, if anything at all. Better tell me where my girl is?”

“Already at Katarina’s, looking at the little man.”

“And when will you give me a grandson?” it was more said in jest.

“In the spring,” I froze. That is, like in the spring.

“You mean that…”

“Lana is pregnant.”

“Adam” I rushed to hug him, “I congratulate you.”

My son will become a father. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I didn’t hold them back.

“Mom…” Adam wiped my cheeks, “Mom, what are you doing?”

“I’m just happy for you. Okay, “I quickly cleaned myself up, “I’ll take this and go to my girls.”

“Maybe still…”

“No, it can’t.”

Taking the tray, I headed to Alexander’s office. When I came up, I gently tapped with my foot, as my hands were busy. As soon as my nephew’s loud voice rang out, I entered.

“I’ve prepared some small snacks for you…” as I entered, I looked at my feet so as not to fall.

“Carla?” I abruptly raised my head when I met a man who was very dear to me.

The tray clatters to my feet.

Chapter 6