Chapter 3
Late at night, with everything silent, I lay in bed, unable to sleep.
Memories from my past life came rushing in.
Mom would call out for food at three in the morning, and I'd have to bundle up and head out into the freezing wind to get her something to eat.
When she lost control and messed up the sheets, I'd be the one cleaning her up and changing her clothes, all alone. I missed the overseas training at work because I was always taking time off, and everyone else got promoted except me.
But the one who hurt me the most was Kelvin Delacruz.
After five years together, when I postponed our wedding for the third time, he said, "Anabel, I respect your choices, but I can't always come second." Less than a year after we broke up, he married someone else.
My pillow was soaked with tears. I rolled over, sat up, opened my notebook, and started a new page for legal questions, writing down a list of law firms to call tomorrow.
Last time around, I was clueless about family obligations. This time, I was going to be armed to the teeth.
The next morning, I showed up at the office a whole hour early. As soon as HR opened, I handed in my annual leave and comp time requests, which perfectly covered all my upcoming shifts.
"Anabel? Is that really you?" I heard a familiar voice behind me. Turning around, I saw Peyton Haley, my old college friend, standing by the elevator with a coffee in hand, her eyes practically popping out in surprise.
"Peyton? You work here?" Surprised, I hurried over to her. Back then, after I quit, I lost touch with everyone from work. I never thought I'd bump into her here.
"I'm on the sixteenth floor, Marketing!" Peyton grabbed my hand, her excitement contagious. "Heard you're up for supervisor? That's huge!"
She leaned in, dropping her voice. "By the way, Malaki's scouting for someone to head up the new project. You should throw your hat in the ring."
Malaki Herring? Callum Duncan? My heart skipped a beat. In my last life, that project landed in Kasen's lap, and he rode it all the way to VP.
"Of course I want to. Got any inside scoop?" I asked, forcing myself to sound chill.
Peyton shot me a sly wink. "Lunch together? I heard things have been rough at home for you... but chances like this don't come around often." She added, her words heavy with meaning, "Sometimes, fate isn't set in stone."
Her words hit me like a jolt of electricity. 'Wait... could she be in on it too?' I wondered, my mind racing.
Before I could process that, my phone buzzed. In the family group chat, Coraline had just posted a photo of her and Dariel standing on either side of Mom's hospital bed. "We took half a day off to visit Mom. She keeps asking why you're not here."
In the photo, Mom looked frail, but she was gripping Dariel's hand tightly.
Coraline was bent over, gently wiping Mom's face. The scene looked so warm and caring. If others didn't know the truth, anyone would think I was the unfilial one.
I took a deep breath and replied: [I'll be there at eight tonight, just like my schedule says. Please tell Mom to get some rest.]
Then I snapped a photo of my approved vacation slip and sent it to the family group chat. [My time off is set. Hope my sister and brother can coordinate theirs soon too.]
After sending the message, I looked up at Peyton and smiled. "See you at the restaurant at noon."
My phone buzzed in my pocket again as I headed to the office.
I figured it was probably another update from the family group chat, but when I checked, it was a text from an unknown number.
It said: [Miss Contreras, this is Addyson Carlson from Lucent Legal. Your legal consultation is scheduled for 3 PM today. The address has been sent to your email.]
I froze. 'Wait, I haven't even contacted any law firms yet,' I thought, completely thrown off.
At exactly noon, I pushed open the glass doors to the company cafeteria. Peyton was already waving me over from a window seat, with two coffees and a folder waiting on the table.
"Anabel, over here!" Her voice rang out, drawing a few glances from nearby tables. I hurried over and noticed the sparkling diamond ring on her left ring finger.
In my last life, she wasn't supposed to get engaged until next year. 'Looks like the timeline's shifting,' I thought.
"Congrats!" I said, nodding at her ring. "When did this happen?"
Peyton's cheeks turned pink. "Just got engaged last month."
She quickly shifted the conversation. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you. Malaki's new project is launching next week, and he's looking for someone to lead it who really knows international accounting standards."
My heart skipped a beat. In my previous life, that cross-border acquisition project catapulted Kasen to the top ranks, and I missed my shot because Mom was hospitalized for the third time.
"I fit the bill," I said, setting my coffee down and absentmindedly tracing circles on the rim. "But with my family situation right now..."
"That's exactly why you need to fight for it!" Peyton lowered her voice, sliding the folder over to me. "This is the project outline. Take a look as soon as you can. The interview's next Wednesday."
She paused, her tone softening. "I heard about your mom. I'm really sorry. But Anabel, opportunities like this are once in a lifetime."