Chapter 3

By the next morning, neither Zachary nor Nadia had come home. The only thing on my phone was a text from Zachary. "Clara, Nadia's stomach still hurts. The doctor suggested we stay for monitoring. We'll be back tomorrow." He even attached a photo of the two of them sitting on a hospital chair. Nadia had a smudge of cream at the corner of her mouth. I clearly remembered her face being clean before she left. If she was going to put on a show, she should at least commit to it. I didn't reply. I headed out to the immigration office to sort out the paperwork. As I stepped outside, my eyes fell on the bracelet around my wrist. It was from my latest collection. The bracelet was a limited-edition piece, available only to those willing to queue for it. When Zachary found out, he flew to Jirnumia and waited eight hours in line just to buy it for me. Back then, I honestly thought I was the luckiest woman alive. However, now I could only shake my head, unclasp the bracelet, and throw it into the bin. When I finally came out of the immigration office, I ran straight into my daughter and Zachary. When our eyes met, Zachary and Nadia froze. "Clara, what are you doing here?" Zachary asked. I kept the documents. "I was just handling some paperwork. I'm flying to Jirnumia for work." A flicker of panic crossed Zachary's eyes before he forced himself to stay calm. "But you're not fluent in Jirnum." I raised an eyebrow and lied with a smile. "That's why I need you to teach me." The relief on his face was instant. He jogged over and grabbed my hand. "Perfect. Let's go home together." Nadia slipped her hand into my other one while holding a shopping bag, beaming. "Yay! I know a little too. I want to teach Mommy!" They were smiling so brightly, each holding one of my hands. I was the only one who couldn't smile. A cold ache kept spreading in my chest. We ​​were far from home and even farther from the hospital near our place. There was only one possibility—the Ms. Carton they mentioned must live around here. The scent of perfume from both sides was strong. I couldn't take it anymore and coughed a few times. Zachary immediately tensed and asked if everything was okay. I pulled a mask from my bag and put it on. "The perfume on you two is making my nose sting." I had rhinitis. They never wore perfume at home because of it. In an instant, both their faces stiffened with panic. Zachary rushed to explain, "Maybe it's the smell from the patient in the next bed." Nadia quickly let go of my hand and ran to his side. "If it bothers Mommy, I'll stay farther away." She was still young and wore her expressions on her sleeves. I couldn't understand. Why did she dislike me so much? Why was she always so happy to leave me? I didn't comfort her like I used to. I simply answered, "Okay." Nadia froze for a second. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them exchange a glance, both confused and uneasy. When we got home, Nadia pulled a Hipus bag from behind her back and held it up to me, eyes bright. "Mommy, look! Daddy and I took forever choosing this for you!" It had always been like this. Whenever Zachary sensed I was upset, he tried to make me smile. This time, it was a bag I had been wanting for months. The two of them watched me, tense and hopeful. I sighed, took the bag, and smiled. "I like it." Maybe I really was overthinking everything. Zachary's eyes lit up immediately. His arms circled me. "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. What do you want for lunch?" Nadia chimed in, "I want pork ribs!" Zachary picked her up and leaned closer to me. "Well, we need to check with Mommy first, don't we? So, what do you think?" I held the bag to my chest and nodded with a smile. "I'll eat whatever you want, Nadia." "That's amazing! Thanks, Mommy!" She grabbed Zachary's hand and tugged him toward the kitchen. "Daddy, hurry and cook!" Watching the two of them, the tightness in my chest eased just a little. I sat on the couch, opened my laptop, and started on my work. A friend request popped up almost immediately. The profile picture was cute, so I approved it without much thought. A message came through at once. "So, do you like the bag I picked?"