“You never failed to amaze me, Leah. All you create is such a masterpiece. If I were you, I would increase the payment for every piece of clothing that you’re making since the designs are all originally made by yours!” Colette, an assistant of a fashion boutique owner, praised Leah for the new collection that she made.

Leah could not help but just smile at her. She had been friends with her after she became the supplier of the boutique since she was the one who kept on assisting her and insisting that she should sell her designs higher than what she usually sold.

“You know that I just want to sell clothes for my daughter’s needs and for our daily necessities, right?” Leah responded. She handed her the stripe where the clothes were. “And one more thing, I am already content with how I am earning in this job. Luckily, what I get paid for is already more than enough for us both,” she added.

Colette pouted her lips, being problematic of how kind and good person Leah was. If it was really her who had this talent in fashion designing and sewing clothes, she would take that opportunity to get rich.

But Leah was not her. So she was left with no choice but to sigh in defeat. “Fine. Kindly say hello to your Phoebe for me,” she said.

Leah smiled at her as she nodded her head. “Will do. Thank you again, Colette. But I need to go now. I still need to cook for my daughter,” she bid her goodbye.

She left the boutique with a wide smile on her face. She would not need to think about the payment for Phoebe’s tuition fee for this semester now since she managed to sell enough this week.

She roamed her eyes around the road. Seeing the greenery around her also calmed her mind. She could not believe that she managed to live and support Phoebe all these years.

It had already been eighteen years since she ran away from the Thompon’s mansion. She went to a remote place where nobody knew her. She never planned to return Phoebe to her real parents. She was hers now. Even if she knew that she was not biologically related to her, she still treated her well, like her own child.

Phoebe became the light of her life since Lily died. That was why she was doing everything that she could to provide anything that Phoebe would ask for.

Phoebe once asked about her father’s whereabouts. But Leah lied to her. She told her that her father already died before she was born in a place that she did not want to return to.

“Mom, I’m home! Are you there?”

Leah’s lips automatically curved upward after she heard her daughter’s beautiful voice. She just arrived at the right time. She just finished cooking dinner. “I’m in the kitchen, honey,” she shouted in response.

“Coming!” Phoebe cheerfully responded.

A few moments later, Phoebe entered the kitchen. She immediately went behind her mother’s back and hugged her from behind. “Hmm. That smells delicious, mom,” she commented.

Leah chuckled as she turned off the stove and faced Phoebe. She narrowed her eyes at her, but the curve on her lips was irremovable. “Hmp! You’re just fooling me!” she accused her jokingly.

Phoebe laughed at her mother’s childishness. “Of course, not, mom! When did I fool you?” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at her as she pouted her lips. “Your dishes are the bestest in the world!” she continued.

“Really?” Leah narrowed her eyes more.

“Yes! I promise!” Phoebe exclaimed, then raised her right palm.

Leah surrendered and reached for her daughter’s hair and messed it up. “You go and change your clothes first. I’ll prepare the dinner,” she said.

Phoebe saluted. “Aye, aye, captain!” Then she ran to her room.

Leah was left there, shaking her head.

Her Phoebe was undeniably the sweetest.

***

Phoebe, who just got out of her room, wearing her school uniform, carrying her backpack, gazed at her mother, coughing hard while sewing clothes. Worry started to fill her heart. She rushed towards her mom and knelt down the floor to level with her face.

“Phoebe…” Leah stopped from what she was doing and faced her daughter. There was a knot that was visible on her forehead. “What are you doing there? Stand up,” she instructed her.

But instead of following what her mom said, Phoebe remained kneeling on the floor and held her mother’s hands. “Mom, you’ve not been feeling well these past few days. You kept on hiding it, but I still noticed it. Why don’t we go for a check-up? I’ll go with you,” she tried to convince her.

Leah smiled genuinely at her worried daughter. She felt so lucky having Phoebe by her side. “I’m fine, Phoebe. I already took medicine. You must go to school before you get late,” she responded while tapping her shoulder.

Phoebe shook her head. “But, mom–”

“Sshh.” Leah cupped her face. “I’m fine, honey. I can handle this. This is just a normal cough. And also, didn’t you tell me that you still have a quiz today?” she reminded her.

“Oh, shoot!” Phoebe facepalmed when she remembered that. She looked at her mom apologetically. “I’m so sorry, mom. But I promise to get home early so I can accompany you to the hospital. I promise!” she exclaimed, almost rapping.

Leah nodded her head. “Sure. I’ll wait for you here. Good luck on your quiz, Phoebe. I love you.”

“I love you, too, mom.” She even kissed her mother goodbye before she ran outside their house.

Leah let out the cough that she was suppressing after Phoebe left. She felt her chest aching because of too much coughing. It was like there was something piercing her chest.

It was true that she had been feeling unwell these past few days. And she was trying her best to hide it from her daughter because she did not want her to worry and just focus on her studies. And each day that was passing, her illness was getting worse.

Maybe, Phoebe was right.

She needed a check-up.

So she finished sewing the last piece of clothes that she started to sew, then she prepared and went to the hospital.

“This will be hard to hear, but Ms. Leah, I’m sorry to let you know, but you have stage 4 lung cancer,” the doctor announced after reading the findings.

Leah was dumbfounded at what she just heard.

Did she hear it right?

She had lung cancer?

And it was already on the terminal stage?

“Oh my God!” She covered her mouth using her palms as she gasped. Tears fell down from her eyes upon processing the information.

The doctor looked at her with pity.

She still looked young yet fate was already on the verge of taking her life.

“H-How long do I-I still have?” Leah managed to ask despite breaking down.

The doctor pressed his lips in a thin line before answering. “Two to three months.”

If only she was not sitting on a chair, Leah probably fell down the floor as she felt her knees turn jelly.

Where did it went wrong?

Why did she got the disease that killed her first daughter?

Was this her karma for taking Phoebe away from her real parents?

Leah could not stop crying even when she already got home. She did not know what to do now. Sadness and fear filled her heart. But not for herself, but for her daughter, Phoebe.

She did not want to leave Phoebe this early. She had still not finished her studies. And also, who would take care of her and provide for her needs when she passed away?

Leah massaged her temple because it was already aching for many thoughts that were running in her mind right now.

“Are you okay, mom? I’m sorry that I went home late. We had a practice for our school project after our class dismissal,” Phoebe apologized when she noticed her mother staring at her while they were having dinner. She was thinking that maybe her mother was sulking at her for not fulfilling her promise this morning.

But Leah just smiled at her. Her eyes turned glassy as she reached for her hands. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young lady, Phoebe. I love you so much. Always remember that,” she said in a broken voice.

Phoebe’s eyes furrowed. “Is everything alright, mom? Is there something that happened while I was at school?” She could not help but to worry.

Leah coughed once more as she shook her head. “No. I just realized how fast the years are passing by,” she lied.

Not believing what her mother was saying, Phoebe stood up from her seat and went to hug her mother from behind.

Leah closed her eyes to savor her daughter’s hug.

She would miss this feeling. She would miss everything about Phoebe.

Phoebe sighed. “If you have a problem, mom, please tell me. I am always here for you. You don’t need to own every problem that comes in our family,” she whispered to her.

Leah caressed her arms as she nodded her head.

Tonight, Leah had already made her decision. She would do the right thing to do now.

She would return Phoebe to her real parents, to the place where she really belonged.

“I already excused you to your teacher, honey,” Leah told Phoebe.

They were currently watching a movie when Leah suddenly blurted that out.

With that, Phoebe’s attention was now all on her mother. She got so curious about it because this was the very first time that her mother asked her to be absent from school. “Why, mom?” she politely asked.

Leah looked at her, too. “We need to go somewhere, Phoebe,” she answered.

Phoebe’s brows met. “Where?”

Leah placed her left hand on Phoebe’s right hand. “You’ll know soon, honey.”

Phoebe almost had not slept thinking of where they would go tomorrow. She had a weird feeling about it. She also noticed that her mother had been acting strangely these past few days. She became more caring and industrious than before. She was stopping her and advising her to have a rest since her cough had not still healed. But her mother would always tell her that she could handle it. And that she was feeling better as days passed by.

But she could not fully believe her because she could hear her continuous coughing every night. She was just waiting for her to tell her what really the problem was since she kept on denying everything whenever she was asking.

“Good morning, Phoebe! Time to wake up now.”

She was awakened by her mother’s soft voice. A smile immediately formed on her lips when she felt her mother’s hug. “Good morning, too, mom,” she greeted with a hoarse voice.

Leah chuckled while adoring her daughter’s cuteness. She even weakly slapped her butt and said, “Wake up now, Phoebe. Sunshine’s saying hi already.”

Phoebe groaned. “I’m still sleepy, mom. Five minutes more please?” she requested.

“Fine. Five minutes more and you’ll wake up, okay? We’ll have our breakfast when you go downstairs.”

Phoebe smiled with her eyes closed. “Thanks, mom. I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.”

As promised, Phoebe spent another five minutes sleeping. And after that, she woke up and went downstairs to have breakfast.

“I’ve already prepared the clothes that you will wear for our trip later,” Leah informed her after she swallowed her food.

“Thank you, mom. But can you already tell me where we are going today? I kinda feel a bit anxious about it,” she confessed.

Leah shook her head with a curve on her lips. “It’s a great place where you will love. I promise,” she answered.

Uncontent of her mother’s response, Phoebe still felt a bit relieved because of it. She believed everything that her mother would say. She would not say that if she did not mean it.

After having breakfast, the mother and daughter were already prepared before they left their house. They rode a cab to the bus terminal.

Brenn City.

That was what was written on the bus that they were going to ride on.

Phoebe’s forehead creased while trying to remember where she heard about Brenn City. And when she could not recall it, she took out her phone and searched about the place.

Brenn City was the capital of the country they were living in. And it was known to be the richest city in the country. It was a city of innovation and modernization.

“Mom, what are we going to do in Brenn City?” She could not help but to ask.

But her mother did not answer her question. Instead, she handed her a travel pillow. “Use this. It will be a long trip. You can sleep also if you want,” she responded, far from the response that Phoebe was expecting.

Phoebe sighed in defeat and took the travel pillow. She would just sleep since her mother had no intention of telling her until they got there.

***

“Amelia…”

Amelia immediately wiped her tears before she faced the person who called her. “Henry…” she called him back with a broken voice. She was trying to suppress her tears, but she could not stop it. She ran towards her husband and threw herself to him for a hug. She cried so hard in his arms.

Henry bit his lower lips. His heart clenched in pain while hearing his wife’s cries.

Even after eighteen years, Amelia was still longing for her lost child. God knew how much they tried to search for their child that Leah took away from them before. But there were no leads that they could find. Now, they were just hoping that Leah would be eaten by her conscience and return their child to them.

“Hush now, honey,” Henry tried to calm her down.

But Amelia wagged her head. As much as she wanted to calm herself down, she could not. She was this weak when it came to their lost child. She was still b;aming herself for asking Henry that time to have their wedding anniversary on the island. If only she just chose to celebrate it at home or in a fine dining restaurant, maybe they would not have lost their child.

“I-I’m sorry, Henry. I-Im really sorry. This is all my fault,” she whispered repeatedly.

Henry ran his fingers through her hair. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Amelia. Nobody wanted for this to happen,” he comforted her.

Amelia lifted up her head to look at her husband’s face. “I’m so sorry for adding up to your worries. I know that you’re having a hard time in the company, yet I’m still here, mourning for our child.”

Henry shook his head and cupped her face. “I am not mad, Amelia. I don’t care if you decided to stay at home instead of working in the company. But I don’t want you to keep on blaming yourself and stressing yourself because of a thing that you never wanted to happen.”

What Amelia said was true. He was really having a hard time handling the company as of the moment. Sales of their company had been so bad that he needed to borrow money to cover that up to prevent the investors from withdrawing their investments in their company. And until now, he was still finding money to fill that hole. And he did not know how long it would take for him to keep doing that. He was anxious that the company that they worked hard to build for decades would vanish in just a snap because of this issue.

Their moment was interrupted with a sudden knock on the door. “Ma’am, sir?”

Amelia pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears.

Henry, on the other hand, waited for his wife to fix herself before finally opening the door.

Behind the door was one of the maids.

“What?” Henry asked her.

“Someone’s looking for the both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson,” the maid answered politely.

Henry’s brows furrowed. He could not remember any of his business partners telling him for a visit today. “Who is it?” he asked the maid.

“She told me she’s Leah.”

The maid’s response made the couple’s heart stop from beating for a moment.

“L-Leah?”

Was she the Leah that they were looking for for years?

***

Phoebe almost felt dizzy while roaming her eyes around the mansion that they just entered. “This house is so big. Who’s house is this, mom?” She turned to ask her mother.

But before she could answer, sounds of footsteps caught their attention.

There she saw a man in a corporate attire and a sophisticated lady in a black dress beside him walking downstairs. She felt her jaw drop while staring at them.

They looked like a king and a queen in corporate attire!

Leah, on the other hand, was stunned while looking at the couple who used to be her bosses. Her palms were sweaty and cold. She could not even move from her place. It was like her feet were glued on the floor.

“Please have a seat,” Henry formally offered.

Phoebe felt uncomfortable for the stares that man and woman, in front of them, were giving her. She had already avoided their gazes, but she could still feel that their eyes were not leaving her.

Leah could feel the tension between the Thompson couple and Phoebe. That was why she faked a cough to get the couple’s attention.

“Leah,” Amelia called her. Bitterness was evident in her voice.

And that made Leah feel guilty and embarrassed. “M-Mrs. Thompson…”

“Where have you been hiding all these years?” Amelia was trying to be casual. But she could not help herself. All the questions and hatred that she was feeling towards their former maid dominated her being.

Leah fisted her hands, finding the courage to answer all the pending questions that they would throw her.

And after a moment of silence, everyone gasped in shock when Leah suddenly knelt down the floor. “I-I apologize for all the wrongs that I’ve done to you. I apologize for taking your daughter away from you for years. I am deeply sorry,” she cried.

Amelia cried, too, while seeing Leah asking for forgiveness. While Henry was tapping her wife’s back. He could not also hide his disappointment towards the former maid.

“How could you do that to us, Leah? We gave you everything you asked for. But why did you run away with our child? Do you know how heartbroken I was and I am still for what you did? We’ve been so good to you, yet…” Amelia could not continue what she was about to say because her heart was already clenching in pain. “Y-You know… how much we long for a child…”

Lead nodded her head while still crying. She knew. And she knew that it was all her fault. “I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. I was just carried away because I lost my only daughter at that time. And I was blaming you for it. That was why I escaped with the baby in my womb. But believe me, I regretted it all long ago!”

“But why didn’t you return my child?! You’ve been hiding her from us for eighteen years!” Amelia exclaimed. Her eyes were firing with anger.

Leah looked down at the floor. “B-Because I’ve learned to love her as my own,” she almost whispered. Then she raised her head once again. “And I know that’s selfish–”

Amelia cut her off with a hard slap. “You are beyond selfish, Leah! You took all the years that we could have been a parent to our child because of your selfishness–”

Phoebe, who was puzzled at their conversation, interrupted them after she saw the lady slap her mother. “Please don’t hurt my mom! Why are you hurting her? You can talk to her calmly without laying a hand on her! She’s already apologizing to you for what she did wrong!” She bravely defended her mother. Even if she still could not understand what was happening, she still found the courage to fight for her mom.

Amelia and Henry’s attention was shifted to the young lady beside Leah.

“I-Is she our daughter?” Henry was the first one to ask since Amelia was stunned. Although they kept on eyeing her for a while, they still needed confirmation for their thoughts.

Leah sniffed before she glanced at Phoebe, who had a crumpled face, then she nodded her head. “Y-Yes. She’s your daughter,” she confessed the truth.

Amelia immediately stood up and went to hug Phoebe. But Phoebe pushed her away.

Phoebe sharply looked at Leah. “What are you talking about, mom?!” she exclaimed.

Leah crawled towards her and reached her face. “Listen to me, Phoebe. Amelia and Henry Thompson…” She glanced at the couple before returning her gaze to Phoebe. “T-They are your real p-parents.”

“Phoebe!” Leah called the young lady running away from the living room of the Thompson’s mansion. She stood up from bending on the floor and was about to follow Phoebe outside when she suddenly felt a hand stopping her from running away. She faced the person who was holding her.

It was Amelia. And there was begging visible in her eyes. “Please return our daughter to us, Leah. Eighteen years is already enough,” she pleaded.

Leah was left with no other choice but to agree with her. After all, this was the reason why they appeared again in Brenn City after so many years.

With a heavy heart, Leah went outside to look for the young lady that she had been treating as her own for years.

“Phoebe…” She found her in the garden, staring at the nothingness. She did not even bother to glance at her after calling her. “Phoebe, I know that all of this seems abrupt to you, but you need to accept the truth–”

Phoebe sharply turned to her mom. There was anger in her eyes. “What truth are you talking about, mom? Why don’t we just go home? I still have classes to attend to. Let’s go.” She reached for her mother’s hand to convince her. But Leah moved away.

“Listen to me, Phoebe, please?” Leah begged.

Phoebe shook her head in disapproval. “I can’t understand you, mom. I’ve been asking you so many times where we are going today last night. But you never answered me. And you just bombarded me with a thing that is so hard to understand now!” she exclaimed in frustration. Her mind was in chaos. She just confirmed that her instinct about this trip was right. There was something weird in here.

Leah sighed in defeat. This would be hard. But she would do everything for her Phoebe to understand it. “Honey, I am telling the truth. Do you remember what I answered you when you asked about your dad? I told you that he died long ago. And that’s because I just took you away from your real parents,” Leah started. “Amelia and Henry were my bosses before. And during that time, we were both in need of something. For me, I needed money for the hospital bills of my first daughter, Lily. She had cancer back then. While the Thompson’s were also eager to have a child. But Amelia had PCOS which made it hard for them to make a baby. That was when they offered me to become a gestational carrier in exchange, they would pay for all Lily’s bills and for her maintenance.”

As the explanation went further, Phoebe got more confused. But she chose to listen to Leah.

“I agreed to carry Amelia’s egg and Henry’s sperm to make you. They took care of me so much that time and also Lily. But in my fourth month of pregnancy, they decided to have a trip to an island for their wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Lily bled that night. I sent her to the hospital and she was in need of an urgent operation. And I needed a big amount that time, But I couldn't contact Amelia and Henry because the island had no signal there. Lily died that night. Anger rose in my heart. I was blaming them for the death of my only child. That was why after Lily’s burial, I decided to escape from their household and went to a remote place where I gave birth to you.

“After a year or two, I finally realized the wrong thing that I did. I was sorry for you and the Thompsons. But I couldn’t take you back. As I’ve said earlier, I already learned to love you as my own. That was the reason why I decided to keep you all these years.”

“Then why did you bring me here now?” Phoebe asked.

Leah felt a lump in her throat for her sudden question. She then bit her lips.

“Mom?”

“Because I have lung cancer, too,” Leah confessed.

Now, it was Phoebe’s turn to be dumbfounded. “What?!”

Leah avoided her questioning eyes. “Yes. I just found out the day you told me to go to the hospital for a check-up. And it is already in its terminal stage, stage four.”

Phoebe’s tears automatically fell down her cheeks. She was frozen in her place. “Then why didn’t you tell me about it immediately, mom?” she asked with dismay in her voice.

Leah was silent.

Phoebe ran her fingers to her hair frustratedly. “Why didn’t you tell me, mom?!” She started to get hysterical while crying.

So Leah immediately pulled her to a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Phoebe,” she whispered these sentences multiple times to her.

Phoebe cried harder because of her mother’s words.

The truth about her identity instantly left her mind because of the revelation about her mother’s health.

Fear crept her heart.

Of all the people in the world, why was her mother the one to get that kind of disease?

She was the kindest person that any person could meet. So, why her?

***

Henry was still consoling his wife when he saw Leah and Phoebe come back from outside.

Phoebe looked more composed now than a while ago.

“They’re here,” he whispered to Amelia.

Amelia moved away from him and wiped her tears. She cleared her throat and fixed her posture as she watched Phoebe take her seat.

After they took a seat, Phoebe directly glanced at Amelia and Henry. She felt nervous right at the moment. And she could also feel how tense the two were while waiting for her to speak. She heaved a deep sigh before voicing out the decision that she made up in her mind. “Mom already explained everything to me–”

She almost regretted pronouncing that word when she saw pain in Amelia’s face. She did not know why she felt hurt seeing the woman in pain. But since there was nothing she could do anymore, she just continued her speech. “And I’ve agreed with her to stay here.”

Amelia and Henry felt an instant relief after hearing those words from their long lost daughter that now appeared. “Thank you so much,” Amelia said towards Leah.

Leah smiled weakly at them.

“But with conditions,” Phoebe interrupted them.

“Anything that you will ask for,” Henry responded.

“Tell us. What is it?” Amelia asked, too.

Phoebe took a glance at Leah, then smiled at her.

Leah smiled back.

“I want mom to stay here with me. And I also want you to help her with the hospital bills. She has lung cancer. And I can’t afford to just send her back to our hometown just like that,” she politely explained.

Amelia and Henry looked at each other. A few seconds later, they nodded her head before facing Phoebe.

“Sure. We will help her with everything,” Henry said.

Phoebe smiled at them. “Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson.”

“Please call us mommy and daddy, P-Phoebe,” Amelia requested with longing in her voice and eyes.

Phoebe bit her lips as she looked at Leah.

Leah just nodded her head at her with a curve on her lips.

“Okay, m-mommy.”

***

“Have you heard the news about the Thompsons?”

Alfred Evans stopped from reading the newspaper because of his wife’s question. He took a sip of his coffee first before answering her. “Yes. Actually, I have already scheduled a meeting with Henry today. Now that the heiress of the Thompsons came back already, I think this is the right time to fulfill our agreement with them. This is the right time for the top 1 and top 2 in the fashion industry to merge forces to dominate the fashion world,” he responded with a victorious smile on his lips.

The wife also curved her lips upward after her husband’s statement.

They were not aware of the crisis that the Thompsons were facing at the moment.

***

“It is really great to hear that your heiress is already found. I am happy for both of you,” Alfred greeted them in the middle of their meal.

“Thank you, Alfred,” Henry responded before taking a bite of his food.

Alfred cleared his throat to start with his purpose of calling for this dinner meeting. “Now that your daughter is already here, don’t you think that this is the right time to continue our agreement years ago?”

Henry was all ears to his business friend. He liked where this conversation was going. “What do you mean, Alfred?” He acted like he was clueless of what the other man was talking about.

Alfred laughed at his business friend’s pretension. “Oh, c’mon, Henry. Didn’t we have an agreement that we will arrange marriage for our son and daughter when they reach the right age?”

“Oh!” Henry acted like he was enlightened about the agreement. “Yes. Yes. I actually think that this is the right time for that to happen,” he agreed.

Actually, this was what he was waiting for. This was what their company needed to survive the crisis.

Amelia, who was also worried for their company’s status, but more worried that this sudden implementation of the agreement might shock their daughter, held her husband’s hand.

Henry looked down their intertwined fingers, then lifted his gaze to her. He looked at her with a look implying, ‘Trust me on this.’

Amelia just sighed in defeat. It was clear that they were left with no choice now.

***

“Are you really sure about this, Phoebe?” Amelia worriedly asked.

They just finished telling her the situation of the company right now. They told her about the crisis that they were facing. And told her that they could still provide for her needs for years, but they did not know how long they could manage to support her. And they were shocked when Phoebe unhesitatingly agreed.

It had already been six months since Phoebe stayed in her real parents’ mansion. And she saw and felt how longed for her. She saw how willing they were to provide everything that she would ask for, even if it meant helping someone who did them wrong before.

And upon hearing their explanation about their company, Phoebe felt worried for them, too. She knew that her real parents worked hard for them to reach their place right now. And it would not be too much for her to agree and marry someone that could help their company rise again.

“Yes, mommy. I’ve already made up my mind. I will accept the marriage proposal from the Evans,” she answered them.