Chloe's hands were shaking as she read the devastating email, her heart heavy with despair. She had pinned all her hopes on this job interview, thinking it would be her last chance to turn things around and provide for her and her daughter.
But a certain man, her ex-husband Vincent, would never let her have a chance to move on. He couldn't just sit still and watch her try to rebuild her life while he got away with his cheating and manipulation.
Chloe clenched her phone, fighting back tears as she searched for Vincent's contact number. "That piece of shit!" she cursed. "How could he— I know he's a cheating bastard, but how could he do this to his own daughter?! Does he not realize that this will hurt Mackenzie too?!"
Chloe was convinced that Vincent had used his influence to stop the two companies from hiring her. As a powerful businessman, he had connections with numerous corporations, making it easy for him to sabotage her job applications.
Naturally, those companies decided to prioritize their interests over hers.
The phone beeped repeatedly before going silent. Vincent didn't pick up the call.
"Damn it!"
Chloe tried calling him again, hoping to vent her anger, but Vincent remained uncontactable.
Chloe scoffed, "Maybe that bastard is laughing his ass off right now, thinking about how desperate I must be to get a job to feed Mackenzie…."
…
"Am I really a worthless woman who can't do anything?" Chloe asked herself, doubting her abilities. She began to fear the possibility of returning to her toxic marriage, begging Vincent for forgiveness.
Chloe bit her lip, struggling to hold back tears as she refused to give in to her doubts.
She got up defeatedly and bought two sandwiches from the nearest 7-Eleven for Mackenzie's dinner. She couldn't afford to use Uber to pick Mackie up from school, but her school was private, and there was no public transportation.
She arrived at Mackie's school and saw her daughter standing at the entrance, looking upset. Maybe it was Jaden again, teasing her.
…
Mackenzie looked up at her mom, "Mommy, I want to go home…."
"Okay, let's go home, okay?"
Mackenzie silently followed her mom to the Uber car, and they returned to their motel room. She was quiet throughout dinner, even after changing her clothes.
"Mackie, what's wrong? Can you tell Mommy?" Chloe asked.
Mackenzie finally looked up, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Oh no, don't cry!" Chloe knelt down, wiping away Mackenzie's tears. "What's wrong? Is it Jaden again?"
"Yes, Mommy…" Mackenzie nodded weakly. "He said his mom, Auntie Jada, was kissing with Daddy, and Daddy said he won't pay for my school."
"Mommy, Jaden said I'll be expelled from school because I can't pay…." Mackenzie stared at Chloe, begging for reassurance, "Mommy, is it true? Why would Daddy do that?"
Chloe hesitated, torn between telling the truth or keeping up the illusion. She didn't want to scar Mackenzie for life.
Chloe hugged Mackenzie gently and caressed her hair, "Of course, it's not true! You'll keep going to school every day."
"But, what about Jaden…"
"He's just speaking nonsense! Just ignore him!"
"Um…" Mackenzie rested her head on her mom's shoulder. "Mommy, I want to go home."
"We're at home now."
"Not here, I mean... our home with Daddy! I want to meet Daddy!"
"That... we can't do that, Mackie. Your Daddy is still busy," Chloe said. "Just stay here for a while, okay?"
"I don't wanna!" Mackenzie started struggling and pushed her mother away. She looked mad and threw a tantrum, "I wanna go home!"
"Sshhh! Not too loud—+"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Chloe and Mackenzie were shocked when a loud banging noise came from the wall, followed by a loud yell, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Mackenzie trembled in fear, hugging her mom for protection. Chloe quickly put her on the bed. "Don't be too loud, okay?"
"M—Mommy, who is that?"
"That's a stranger, of course. You can't be too loud because they also need rest."
"W—Will he hurt us?"
"No, as long as you're not yelling and crying, of course," Chloe said. She kissed Mackenzie's forehead. "Sleep early tonight. You must be tired, right?"
"Um..." Mackenzie stopped crying, more terrified than ever, afraid to make a sound. She whispered, "Mommy, I want to leave this place and go home. I'm scared…."
