If I had another chance, I swore I would make Mom personally taste just how funny her joke truly was.
——
1
My daughter’s cries pulled me out of my dream. I blinked, staring blankly at her tear-streaked little face.
My husband, Rocco Craig, rubbed his eyes, then lifted her into his arms with practiced ease, murmuring comfort.
He turned to me with a smile. “Our daughter hasn’t been sleeping well lately. You’d better sleep in the second bedroom, so you won’t be disturbed and complain about dark circles tomorrow.”
A sharp buzz filled my head. Only when Rocco nudged me out of the master bedroom and I caught sight of the date on my phone did the truth sink in. I had been reborn.
Reborn one week before my mother, Veda, ruined everything with her so-called joke.
In just seven days, it would be my daughter’s first birthday banquet. We had reserved a hotel hall for the occasion. Yet during the so-called grab ceremony, Mom had casually placed a file envelope on the table.
“Baby, grab this one. If you grab this, you’ll know who your real father is.”
At first, I thought I had misheard her, my mind blank, my tongue forgetting to question it.
But Veda continued, speaking as if to herself.