Chapter 2

"It's just some worthless crap," Spencer said.

He carefully took the necklace off Natasha's neck and tossed it at Dayana, not caring if it hit her.

Then, as he looked down at Natasha, his tone softened immediately.

"Natasha, anything that belongs to her just brings bad luck. Let's get out of here," he said.

Spencer frowned, like there was something filthy in the air. "With that woman here, staying in this house for even one more second makes me sick."

Spencer had his arm around Natasha, joking and laughing as they walked side by side. Kate followed behind them. Seeing this, Dayana spaced out for a second.

Back then, Dayana was always cold and quiet, never wanting to talk to anyone. But Spencer just kept trailing after her, calling out her name again and again, never giving up.

At first, she thought he was way too noisy and found him super annoying. But when he suddenly stopped showing up for a few days, she actually reached out to him first, something she'd never done before.

Dayana wasn't heartless. She noticed every little thing Spencer did for her and how much he cared. But having never been loved, she just didn't know how to deal with it, or how to let him in.

When she found out Spencer was just struggling with his grades and had to go to tutoring, not because he was seeing someone else, Dayana didn't even notice how happy she felt inside.

She offered to help him study, but kept saying it was just a friend thing, telling him not to read too much into it.

As time went by, they got closer and closer. Dayana never got much love at home, and when Spencer found out, he started treating her even better. He'd always show up with homemade meals from his mom.

On the night of their high school graduation, Spencer finally confessed. Dayana was never good at saying "I love you," and she was way too proud to admit it in front of a crowd.

So when everyone started cheering, she just shook her head. But then she dragged him into a corner and finally nodded hard, making it clear she meant it.

From then on, they were inseparable, totally head over heels for each other. Everyone in their year knew about them. They were the legendary couple, the perfect match everyone envied.

They went to the same college and spent four years working hard side by side, each making a name for themselves in their own field. Forget the whole "break up after graduation" thing, these two didn't just stick together, they tied the knot the very next year.

After their daughter was born, Spencer started climbing the career ladder, barely having a moment to breathe, but he loved the hustle. Dayana's job was pretty flexible, so she was the one looking after their daughter most of the time.

Just when Dayana thought their happiness would last forever, fate threw her a curveball. Out of nowhere, Natasha, the new girl from college, showed up, and with her came a weird, unsigned envelope that blew their perfect life to pieces.

Spencer turned into a completely different person. He wouldn't let Dayana anywhere near their daughter, claiming someone like her would ruin his kid. 'What kind of person did he think I was, anyway?' Dayana thought. 'Didn't he know me better than anyone else?'

Natasha was a junior in their major back in college. They'd only ever been casual classmates, nothing more. The next time they ran into each other was when Natasha came to interview at Spencer's company.

She said both her parents had passed away, and she'd paid her way through school by working every part-time job she could find. She was willing to take any position, even if it was just janitorial work.

Spencer was moved by her grit and struggle, so he broke the rules and hired her right then and there.

Dayana just couldn't accept how things had ended, but her personality made it impossible for her to say what she really wanted to ask. Things between her and Spencer were so tense, it felt like they could snap at any moment.

Even Kate refused to call her "Mom" anymore, always using "Dayana" instead, as if she wasn't her mother at all.

The door slammed so loud it made Dayana jump, snapping her out of her daze. Kate shot her a triumphant, mocking grin before disappearing from sight.

She'd spent years sacrificing herself for this family, for Spencer, for Kate, always putting them first. But now, it was time to leave.

With that thought, she quietly took out her phone, opened the clock app, and started a countdown.

Now that she'd made up her mind to leave, she figured she owed her few college friends a proper goodbye, even if there weren't many, at least there were some.

She set up a lunch with them and showed up right on time. When she opened her closet, everything inside was Spencer's taste, not hers.

She grabbed a sporty outfit from the back corner and put it on. She stood in front of the mirror, really looking at herself for the first time in ages. 'This is me,' she thought.

Over lunch, her friends were laughing and joking around. Over the years, they'd been the only ones who really had Dayana's back.

"Dayana, what's the occasion? Why'd you suddenly invite us out? Something good happened? Wait, don't tell me you and Spencer patched things up?" her friend joked.

"Totally! I'm calling it now," another laughed.

Dayana just kept smiling, not even blushing at their teasing. She playfully swatted at the one who spoke, then said, her voice tinged with a quiet sadness that was almost imperceptible.

"I'm leaving, guys. I'm moving abroad," she said.

Her friends all put down their knives and forks, jaws dropping in shock. But Dayana just sat there, calm as ever, like she was talking about the weather.

"Wait, you're moving abroad with your husband and kid? That's so sudden!" one of them blurted out.

Dayana shook her head, still eating at her own pace. Then she dropped a bombshell that left everyone speechless. "I'm going alone."

Adelina Shaffer, the one who'd been joking around earlier, was the first to realize what Dayana meant. She looked at Dayana, her eyes full of concern.