Chapter Two

Fast forward in time. It had already been five years since that night. Ann was 23 years old. 

7 a.m. in the morning, Ann started to make breakfast. Wearing a pair of worn-out jeans and a casual shirt, she stood in a small dirty kitchen. The smell of fried eggs and bacon was nostalgic for her — it was what her mom would always cook.

Breakfast was ready, Ann called out for her kids, “Charles! Emma! Wake up. Breakfast is ready!”

Charles and Emma were twins, and they were the product of that night. 

Five years ago, Ann found out that she was pregnant three months after that night. She was too afraid and had no idea what she was supposed to do. She didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t know whom and what to tell. She didn’t even know who the father was.

She had called the police, but they found nothing. The police told her they would continue to investigate, but years passed, it was still nothing. Ann knew the police might have been bribed, so she decided to investigate and get proof herself. She was determined to find evidence. 

So, after graduating from high school, Ann left New York secretly and went to this small town in Arizona alone. It was called Sunshine Town. It was small and lacked people, but Ann decided to live here and give birth to her babies. 

Life wasn’t easy. After spending all the money she had, Ann had to work hard to make money. Yet she persisted, raising her children all by herself and making money.

  

Charles and Emma appeared in the dining room with their sleepy eyes half opened. They were super cute! Charles looked like a little bunny. He had round cheeks, big eyes, and a small mouth. His hair was brown just like Ann’s and his eyes were brilliant blue. 

He said to Ann with his sweet voice, “Mom, it’s Saturday. Can we play in the park after breakfast? We haven’t been in the park for a long time.”

“Yes, let’s play in the park! Please, mom,” Emma added. Her blonde wavy hair fell perfectly in place, and her long lashes were visible as she pleaded, “We were behaving well recently. Can we go play with you today?”

Ann looked at her two cute kids and patted her their heads gently, saying, “OK, but just for a moment, OK? Mommy will go to work after that, and Mrs. Lawrence will come to look after you today.” Mrs. Lawrence was their landlord and they had known her for years. She was an old widow with no children and was happy to help Ann look after the kids when she was busy. 

“Of course! We love you, mommy,” both of them cheerfully said.

It was spring, and the weather was nice. 

Charles went out wearing a mustard polo shirt along with his denim shorts, which made him look even more adorable. Ann looked at him and said, “Well, you look dashing, young man.”

Emma went out after Charles in her lovely and cute little white dress, which complimented her fair complexion and long hair. Ann brushed Emma’s hair and said, “And you little lady, look like a princess.”

The three of them went to the park near their apartment, which was a quiet and beautiful place. Families liked to hang out there and children were quite happy. 

“Mommy, where is our daddy? When can we meet him?” Emma suddenly asked, looking at a happy family near them. 

Charles also looked at Ann. The twins were waiting for her response.

The truth was, Ann herself didn’t even know who their father was. The twins kept asking her this question now and then. As time went by, they became more and more curious, but Ann still didn’t know how to answer them.

All she knew was that five years ago, a secret man made love with her when she was almost unconscious. She could barely remember anything about that night. How could she? 

Then, Ann took a deep breath and kissed the twins on the forehead, smiling, “Your daddy is very very busy. He is far away from Arizona, on the other side of the country.”

“Then why isn’t he coming to meet us? Doesn’t he like us?” Charles asked.

“Daddy doesn’t even know we exist. Mommy also doesn’t know who he is. It was a mistake.” Ann almost spoke it out, but she knew she couldn’t speak like that. The twins deserved to be loved.

So, instead, Ann said, “Daddy is working hard for us. He’d come to visit us after he finished all his work. Daddy loves you and misses you two everyday. Trust me.”

Then, she hugged the twins tightly. Charles and Emma didn’t say anything, and they hugged Ann back.

Ann took another glance at Charles and Emma. She thought that whoever the father was, he must look dashing. In fact, he must be extremely handsome since the children looked so perfect. 

She blushed at her thought.

Ann got more and more curious about this secret man’s identity.

The twins are four years old now. In order to raise them, Ann took several part-time jobs. 

Life wasn’t easy for her. Ann was only in her early twenties, and she also had her own dream. She wanted to be a fashion designer from a very young age. So besides raising the twins, Ann attended the community college to study design in this small town with a scholarship. 

The last five years were more tough for Ann than any other person, but she made it. She became stronger in her heart.

Ann sat on a bench in the park. Charles and Emma played on the meadow not far away.

To be fair, this small town was not really ideal for raising kids, but it was the only place Ann could afford. Arizona was quiet and peaceful, and most residents in this small town were retired people. As they said, this small town was for when one’s reaching the end, not for when one’s starting a life.

But the neighbors were kind. They sent Ann and the twins some homemade food and Ann was also delighted the twins were able to play with other kids at their age.

With the cool wind blown to their faces and the sun rays, Ann took out the sketch pad from her bag. She kept drawing fashion designs in her spare time. 

After drawing for a while, Ann raised her head up and watched the twins playing on the meadow. She chuckled as she took out her phone. She took a video of them for her TikTok account. 

Ann had this TikTok account for a year now. She posted a lot of the twins’ videos on it. She could not resist how cute the twins were and recorded their daily lives through this account.

After one year, the twins already had 100k followers. All the followers couldn’t resist the cuteness of the twins.

Soon after, the three of them went back home. 

Days passed like this. Ann made breakfast, went to work and classes, hung out with the twins, and went to bed. Sometimes, Ann applied for jobs as a fashion designer and she kept waiting for any responses. The days were nothing out of ordinary, but the three were happy together.

One day, everything changed because of an email.

Ann almost spitted out the water she drank as she opened her email box. She found a reply from a famous Fashion Design Company -- Lionheart Company or simply LH COMPANY. Ann’s heart was bursting as she continued to read this email.

Her hands were shaking as she scrolled down. Ann was offered a job as a fashion designer assistant! She could not believe her eyes. It was her dream job at her dream company! How could it be any better?

But as she read further, she realized that she had to move back to New York if she took the offer.

Ann looked around the tiny apartment at Sunshine. She saw how dirty the apartment was and how the twins shared a single blanket. She realized she needed this job very much.

Ann knew what was in New York. She remembered Beth, Vivian, and that family she was related to by blood and law. Ann hated the idea of going back, but she was barely meeting ends here. She knew what she had to do, both for her and the twins.

Ann gulped hard as she made up her mind.

She was going back to New York, the city where the people she least wanted to see lived.