Veronica had barely settled into her office chair when her phone began to ring. Sabrina's na flashed across the screen.
Cullen's words from the conference room about dinner plans with Sabrina echoed in her mind, making her hesitate. She stared at the incoming call but didn't answer.
Sabrina was persistent. Three consecutive calls went unanswered before a text ssage appeared on Veronica's screen.
"Mom, I have a fencing competition next month. Can you co with to training tomorrow?"
Veronica's fingers hovered motionlessly over the phone, a sudden ache spreading through her chest.
The two years since Cullen had taken Sabrina to Bella had created a chasm in their relationship. Entire chapters of her daughter's life had unfolded without her knowledge. The classes Cullen had arranged, the activities Sabrina participated in—these were mysteries to Veronica.
She'd attempted conversations before bringing up divorce, but Sabrina had shut her out each ti. Without this text, she wouldn't have known her daughter was even interested in fencing, let alone preparing for a competition.
The reality of how much she had missed struck her hard. She stared at the ssage, montarily lost in regret.
A knock at the door pulled her back to the present. "Co in," she called, quickly composing herself.
Lester entered with a stack of papers, his expression all business. As they worked through the docunts, Veronica noticed his focused deanor—always professional when it ca to work.
Their eting concluded just as Veronica rembered tomorrow was Saturday. Lester lingered, clearly having sothing else on his mind.
"I saw this amazing play a couple weeks ago," he finally said. "They're doing another performance this weekend. I was thinking of going again—would you like to join ?"
Sabrina's ssage flashed through her mind. Veronica shook her head. "I already have plans for Saturday, I'm afraid I can't make it."
Disappointnt flickered across Lester's face. "I understand..."
Another ssage from Sabrina appeared: "Mom, please let know."
Veronica quickly typed back: "Got it. I will go with you to training tomorrow morning."
Seeing Veronica engaged with her phone, Lester quietly excused himself.
Almost imdiately after his departure, Veronica's phone rang again. She answered to hear Sabrina's excited voice.
"Mom, you finally have ti tomorrow!"
Veronica humd affirmatively, trying not to let her emotions seep into her voice.
"So, what ti are you coming ho tonight?" Sabrina asked, hope evident in her tone.
"I won't be ho tonight," Veronica replied, her eyes fixed on her computer screen. "Send the ti and location for training tomorrow. I'll et you there."
On the other end of the line, Sabrina stood in the vast, empty foyer of their villa. Housekeepers moved around her, busy with their tasks, but the space felt hollow without her mother's presence. She struggled to recall the last ti she'd seen her mom at ho.
Disappointnt settled briefly in her chest before the promise of tomorrow brightened her mood again. "Okay! I'll have Dad send you the ti and address in a bit!"
Veronica hesitated for a mont. "Alright, I got it."
She paused before asking, "Are you ho now?"
"Just got ho," Sabrina confird.
"That's good." Another pause stretched between them. "I still have work to do, so I'll hang up now. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will! Mom, you have to take care of yourself too!"
"Mm," Veronica murmured, the single syllable carrying the weight of all the words left unsaid between them.
As she ended the call, she stared at her phone, thoughts of her daughter lingering in her mind. The distance between them felt both imasurable and, for the first ti in a long while, possible to bridge.
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