Chapter 15

Julia didn't see Keith again when she got home that day. The next day, word spread that Keith had apparently pissed someone off and gotten beaten up so badly he ended up in the hospital, his face bruised and swollen. Julia let out a quiet sigh. She felt relieved not having to see him. … When life was peaceful, time slipped by faster. Before she realized it, June had arrived. June 27 was her birthday. Calvin had started planning a grand birthday party for her a month in advance. Almost every socialite in Jorvain received an invitation—everyone but Keith. More than the guest list, what surprised Julia most was that Calvin had even invited her mother, Lydia Hill, who had lived overseas for years. In the lavishly decorated banquet hall, Julia stood frozen in her tailored gown when she saw her mother. Joy instantly flooded her eyes. "Mom, what are you doing back here?" Though Lydia was over 50 years old, she still looked remarkably youthful, apart from a few fine lines at the corn