“It’s not you I’m looking for; I want to speak to Sonia. Is she there with you?” Grace asked on the other line, prompting Charles to glance over at Sonia.

“She’s here,” he answered.

 

“Pass the phone to her.”

Having made a noise of agreement, Charles handed Sonia his phone while saying, “Here, it’s my mom.”

Sonia took the phone over and greeted pleasantly, “Mrs. Lane.”

“Sonia! I’ve missed you so much.” Grace beamed as soon as she heard Sonia’s voice on the other end of the call.

 

Sonia, on the other hand, smiled as well. “I’ve missed you, too, Mrs. Lane.”

“You could always drop by to see me, you know,” Grace pointed out, feigning dejection.

 

“Sorry, Mrs. Lane. I’ve been tied up with tons of stuff recently. I barely have time to breathe,” Sonia winced and said apologetically.

“Well, you could come over for a meal right now if you have the time. I’ll bust out a few of my best recipes for you,” Grace cajoled kindly.

Sonia was just about to say something when Charles—who had been eavesdropping—spoke up instead. “Mom, I’m bringing my darling for seafood.”

Grace, however, was insistent as she countered, “You know how restaurants never run a quality check on their seafood supplies, and it’s not as if they could do better than me when it comes to cooking.”

for the offer, Mrs. Lane. We’ll go over to your place in a

See you soon!” Grace chortled happily, elated that the younger girl had agreed to drop by

ended, Charles put his phone away and gave Sonia a resigned look. “Well,

out gifts for your parents.” With that,

rounds through the boutiques in the mall, they finally picked out an elegant cloak for Grace and a tasteful necktie for Curtis. Then, they made their way to the

with the Reeds, and their relationship was more family than anything else. In particular, Grace had been best friends with Sonia’s mother. As far as Sonia was concerned, Grace was like a second

Sonia pulled up in front

though she noted that the house looked the same as it had before. As such, she did not feel out

the sound of the car pulling up. Her eyes

Lane,” Sonia greeted with a

women embraced, Charles stood by the side and drawled sarcastically, “Don’t mind me, Mom. I’m just your biological son,

and believe me when I say I’m getting tired of it. My attention is on Sonia now. Come here, Sonia, let me take a good look at you!” She clasped Sonia’s hands in hers and

somewhat amused by the remark.

Grace insisted. “Your face is

more slender than usual,” Sonia placated. “Alright, that’s enough fretting, Mrs. Lane. Shall we

Grace took her by

at home but them, and she couldn’t help but

with his buddies. No matter. Sonia, why don’t you tell me how you’ve been for the past six years.” Ever since Grace watched the press conference, she had been wanting

to detail the life she had had with

physical show of frustration and snapped, “I knew those Fullers

agreed as he bit into an apple.

abusive marriage wounded him, and the rage he felt never went away. That being

felt warmth course through her. Tears pricked her eyes as

both her parents, and the closest thing she had to a family was Grace and the rest of the Lanes. She might have been able to get them to stand up for her throughout her marriage to Toby, but they couldn’t come to her defense all the time. Besides, they weren’t actually related to her, which meant her troubles would only grow to become an unnecessary burden for them. She would rather give them a peace of mind than have

Grace gently prodded the

smiled good-naturedly as

and smoothed Sonia’s

he sniffed the air curiously. “Mom, what do you have on

out of her thoughts, and her eyes lit up with panic. She rose

to salvage the chowder simmering in the pot, and thankfully, she

over to Sonia and said, “Here you go, Sonia. Have some juice while you watch a bit of television; I’ll be in the kitchen whipping

Sonia nodded with

and help me out in

as he pointed at his nose. “Are you serious, Mom? What could

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