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with Kendra, the one who held a special place in his heart.
Omar seemed to feel this too, like he knew that Grace wasn’t supposed to be his mother. But Kendra was.
Grace took a deep breath. She was planning to leave this city soon.
anyway.
Antonio and Omar would be with Kendra, living the life they were meant
- to.
Omar’s birthday came, and Grace was fresh out of surgery when her phone rang with a call from Omar.
“Mommy, when are you coming home?” he asked, his innocent little voice making her heart feel heavy. “I want to cut the cake with you.”
It had been ages since Omar had been this sweet to her.
Back then, when Antonio gave her the cold shoulder, Omar was there, wrapping her up in warmth and comfort.
“I don’t like Daddy anymore! Mommy, don’t be sad. When I grow up, I’ll take care of you!”
Grace’s heart softened at the thought of this. She decided to head home after making sure everything was alright at the hospital.
Back home, one of the maids saw her and was taken aback. “Mrs. Kaufman, I thought you weren’t coming back….”
The maid’s shocked face made Grace’s heart sink.
Before she could say anything, laughter filled the air, coming from the living room.
“Since you’ve been such a good boy, I made this cake for you, Omar. Your
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dad wanted me to..”
“I love you so much, mommy Kendra!”
From the doorway, Grace saw Omar hugging Kendra, acting all cute and cuddly.
Antonio was there too, watching them with a loving gaze.
They looked like a perfect family.
Grace stood there, feeling out of place, like she’d walked into the wrong house.
Kendra was the first one who saw her. Her grin faded fast as she
awkwardly pushed Omar away. “Hey, Grace. I’m sorry you had to see that. I hope you know it’s just harmless banter. It’s Omar’s birthday!”
That’s when Omar and Antonio noticed that Grace was there.
Antonio’s face soured when he saw her. “I thought you had surgery and weren’t coming home?”
“I’m sorry,” Omar whispered with guilt. “Mommy Kendra told me to call her so she could be here when I cut the cake”
It dawned on Grace that Omar had called her back at Kendra’s request.
She gazed at the half–eaten cake on the table, topped with strawberries, and asked Antonio, “Did you ask Ms. Jermyn to make this strawberry cake?”
Antonio was the one who answered her. “Omar really enjoys the cakes Kendra bakes”
Grace stood frozen, her eyes brimming with tears that she struggled to
contain.
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But she played it cool. “I’m just here to have some rest. No big deal. Just go ahead.”
She then started to make her way upstairs.
Kendra, with a hint of uncertainty, called out to her, “Grace, there are two pieces of cake left. Would you like to join us?”
Grace froze, cringing at the lady–of–the–house tone.
She responded with a simple shake of her head. “I’m allergic to strawberries.”
Antonio, who was sitting on the couch, paled upon hearing this.
It hit him that he’d forgotten about Grace’s allergy to strawberries.
Tired after a long day, Grace went to her room to change into more comfy clothes. That was when Russell Kaufman called her.
