CHAPTER ELEVEN

My mother.

I have not seen her since I was kicked out for not listening and choosing to follow my own wishes.

A wish that almost killed me. Seeing her reminded me of our time together, and I really miss her.

I was filled with pain, anguish, and bitterness as my heart sank.

After a long moment of staring at one another, she waved to someone else and walked away just as I was about to approach her.

I continued to stare at her with my gaze fixed on her. She will be unable to identify me because I have changed greatly—indeed, everything has changed—and I am no longer the daughter she knew.

My name, my appearance, my identity, my life, and even my spouse, everything has changed.

However, I would like to meet with her, even if it is just to shake hands. I would be delighted.

I felt a hand on my elbow as I took a step in her direction. Kai was there; I had totally forgotten that we had been together.

"Where are you headed? "I would like for you to meet someone," he said.

"Who? Not right now, please; I have something to do." I mentioned. I looked back to where I last saw my mother, but she was no longer there.

"There will not be any way for her to recognize you." He said

What on earth was he saying?

"Your face has changed; I am sure you know that. Would you like to make the announcement in front of a large crowd?" He said.

I do not know if I am hearing him right, but he was chatting to someone when I saw my mom. He may have known her before, but I doubt he would have realized she was my mom.

However, I asked him, "What are you talking about?" to make sure we were on the same page and discussing the same topic.

"I am talking about you meeting your mother in an event like this with your face and name different from what she knows," he said, staring me in the eyes. "Do not you think of what will happen?"

He is fully aware of every aspect of my life, past and present. I backed away from his touch, trembling.

He took me to the event because he knew she would be there and that my parents would be at such an occasion.

I am about to ask Kai a question when a man approaches us and smiles at him.

"I am so glad to see you. I did not think you were coming tonight." The man said.

The man asked, turning to face me, "Who is this?"

"This is Alan—a friend and business partner," Kai said, pointing to the man, "and this is Chloe." And he gestured in my direction.

He is very attractive; if Kai is Hades, then this man is Zeus.

When he grinned at me, I said, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Alan said, "Let me borrow this man for a minute," and he and Kai left.

I looked around for my mother after seeing Kai and his friend go.

I do not know when or if I will ever see her again, but I can not let this moment pass; she must be here and I must meet her.

I was searching for her when I came across her speaking to someone, but I was not sure how to approach her or what to say.

Fortunately, I saw Sloane approaching and waved. She approached her and remarked, "I knew I picked the right cloth for you; you look stunning."

I said to her, "Thank you."

"Come, let me introduce you to some people. Why are you standing there by yourself?" She stated

I will take this offer with pleasure because it is exactly what I need right now.

My response was, "I would love that."

If it allows me to meet with my mother, I would be overjoyed.

After I was introduced to a few of the people we met, we had a few conversations before moving on to the next.

Sloane led me to the person I so badly wanted to meet, saying, "Come, let me introduce you to Mrs Harper, she is one of my favorites."

"Hello, Mrs. Harper." She turned from the person she was speaking to to face us when Sloane called her.

My heart hurts and my throat tightens as I see her up close; I long for her touch so badly.

I want to talk to her for a long time and be very close to her so that we can discuss anything and everything.

I remember my mother smiling at me and asking if I needed anything when we were together. She always wanted me to be happy.

I left all of this for a jerk of a man out of love, but that love was never returned.

I lost my daughter, I lost my family, and I nearly lost myself in the process.

I was deep in my thoughts when Sloane tapped me and asked me what was wrong.

I just grinned at my mother without saying anything. "I am Chole Harper, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Harper."

I think that smiling too much caused my cheeks to hurt, so I extended my hands to shake hands.

When she touched me, I closed my eyes and held her hands for a much longer period of time than I would have during a typical handshake.

"Is it your first time here? I have not seen you before." Mrs. Harper said to me.

"Yes, I am; Kai is my fiancé."

"So, I suppose the rumors are accurate. She stated

"You know how private Kai likes to be, his marriage is nothing of a secret, and Miss Chole is new to a society like ours, so it has never been a rumor." Sloane answered her back.

"That is accurate, and I am sorry if what I said offended you." "I never met it that way, and I am really happy for you," Mrs. Harper said, continuing.

"I had a daughter once, and I hope she is happy wherever she is now." She seemed so depressed, and I wanted to give her a hug and let her know that her daughter was standing right in front of her.

"How come I have not met your daughter? I had no idea you had one." Sloane inquired.

"This is not the right place for a lengthy story and discussion."  She responded.

I am not sure what was going through my mind because I had already said the words before I could stop myself. "Do you miss her?" I asked. She shot me a look.

"Do you miss your daughter? Why did not you look for her or get in touch with her?" I asked.

She gave me a stern look, and Sloane tried to defend my directness by stating that i had no idea what I was talking about.

However, I was devastated by Mrs. Harper's next statement.

"You can not search for a deceased person, can you?" she asked.