Chapter 1

Tara’s POV

“Mrs. Winters, I am calling about your daughter. One of her teachers noticed she was running a high fever, please, we need you to come to the school immediately.”

The phone was frozen against my ear, a faint wailing heard in the background.

“Please, Mrs. Winters,” the woman whispered, “she is screaming and frightening the other children, again. If you do not come, I shall have no choice but to call paramedics.”

An old woman tapped her long nails against her cart. Her impatience was rising alongside the other customers behind her.

I glanced across the room. My supervisor was on a phone call, but he kept looking at me with a deep scowl.

I was already on strike six. Leaving now would end with no job. No job meant no money, and no money meant the hospital bills would go unpaid.

My hand squeezed the phone. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I bit into my cheek.

As a single mother, I’m constantly running back and forth between my child and my job. Lately, Abby has been running a fever again and again, forcing me to take time off more often just to stay home and care for her.

I can’t help blaming myself. Six years ago, a sudden wave of layoffs cost me my job. I had no money and no family to lean on, and my body was so weak that I couldn’t produce a single drop of milk. Abby was only three months old then, yet she had to endure hunger.

At our lowest point, she went more than ten hours without eating, so dehydrated that it nearly broke me. I held my frail baby in my arms, begging for help wherever I could, drowning in desperation.

I keep thinking that Abby’s frequent illnesses now are the result of what happened six years ago. It’s all my fault.

The faint sound of screaming grew louder and my decision was sealed. I threw open a drawer and grabbed my wallet.

“I’m sorry everyone,” I said hurriedly, “but this register is now closed.”

My precious daughter was all I had left in this cruel world.

Groans and moaning echoed down the long line of exasperated people. I ignored them and hopped over the counter, sprinting towards the exit.

Carts flew out of my way, followed by bewildered stares and annoyed shouts. I ran outside and flagged down a passing taxi.

The conversation with the driver was a blur, my mind on my daughter. Abby had gotten sick before, but those sounds had never come from her mouth. Her wailing would never leave my head.

The car could not reach the gates of the school fast enough. I threw a wad of cash at the driver and pleaded for him to wait before darting out of the car. Throwing open the school doors, my eyes caught on a small form in a plastic chair.

I quickly crouched beside the chair. My daughter’s chin was tucked into her chest, and her skin was on fire. My heart flew into my throat with the sudden hitching of her breath, before relaxing when she shakingly exhaled.

My precious daughter had been abandoned while in extreme pain. My worry gave way into simmering anger.

I marched over to the secretary and demanded, “Why is she not in the nurse’s office? I should file a complaint with the school board and see how they feel about child neglect.”

The woman rolled her eyes and jabbed a thumb behind her. Tara’s teacher stood nervously in the back office, pretending to read a set of papers.

I shouted, “Well?”

“Complain then!” Tara’s teacher snapped. “See how they feel about a child constantly coming to school sick and falling into screaming fits, I should report you to the authorities.”

“Perhaps, if her mother had chosen a different father, that brat wouldn’t be a mental case.” Mumbled the secretary.

I glared at the secretary. The woman smacked her gum and focused on her keyboard. Her words were cruel, but there was no refuting her claim about Abby’s father. A different type of pain settled into my chest.

Six years ago, was the last time we had seen each other. Six years was a lifetime. Kade had been the single glow of light in an otherwise dreary existence.

Blinded by puppy love, I gave him everything without question, including my first night. Kade dumped me the next day before vanishing completely. The sole proof of his presence was Abby.

With no parents to help me through my pregnancy, the enormous financial burden meant the end of my tenure at community college. I held no grudge towards my baby for anything that had happened.

But, being forgotten like trash by the man that was once was my savior, had left a deep scar.

My nails dug into my palms.

“I want papers to transfer my daughter to a different school by the end of the week.” I demanded coldly.

I scooped my daughter into my arms, gently stroking her back. Thankfully, the taxi had waited with the promise of extra money and soon, we were at the general hospital. Again.

The checkup followed the same, familiar pattern until Abby started screaming and crying. Forms reading emergency consent and other jargon were shoved into my hands. I scribbled a pen across the sheet, my falling tears ruining my signature.

The chaos finally quieted down, and a doctor sat beside me.

“I have suspicions of a genetic disease, no cause for alarm at the moment, but certainly something that requires your attention.” Explained the doctor. “I will refer you to a well-respected hospital a few cities away, Hanesburg. They are more equipped to handle your daughter’s condition, Mrs. Winters.”

I rubbed my face. Well-respected also meant expensive.

The doctor must have seen my despair, because he hurriedly continued, “One of the members of the board is known for tailoring affordable treatment plans for those in, a rougher situation. It will be a bit of a drive, but trust me, if your daughter does have this disease, it cannot go undiagnosed.”

The man was called out of the room by a nurse, leaving me plenty of time to think. Staying in Hanesburg would be expensive, but there might be another option. A good friend of mine from college lived in that city.

Although I had dropped out, Bella and I worked hard to stay in touch. She was the one person I could rely on in emergencies.

I typed her number into my phone, hoping she would answer. My fingers picked at the skin around my nails as the phone buzzed. The buzzing stopped, followed by a click.

“Hi, Bella, it’s uh, Tara.” I muttered, before my ears filled with high-pitched shrieking.

“Oh my gosh, Tara, how have you been?” Bella exclaimed. “You calling must be a thing of fate; you will not believe this honey. Guess who I saw the other day?”

“Actually Bella,” I muttered, “I have a favor—”

“Kade.”

I blinked. “What?”

“K-a-d-e. In the flesh.” She chirped. “Was like looking at a deadman, given the whole disappeared without a single word thing he had going on. I mean, come on, everyone thought he was dead, like murdered or something, you know?”

Bella kept rambling, but my phone clattered to the floor. Kade was in Hanesburg?