Victoria had no idea what was going on with Gwh.
She wanted to show concern for her daughter, but Gwh never seemed to want it. Every time they met, the girl''s brow would furrow in silent protest.
Victoria felt helpless. Gwh''s heart was already drifting away.
"I''ll make time to stop by this afternoon," she agreed.
When Curtis came back, Victoria asked if she could take the rest of the afternoon off.
"Just make sure youe to the event tonight," Curtis reminded her. "I want to introduce you to some of the top people in our field."
Curtis truly valued Victoria''s abilities and wanted her to meet others in the industry.
He''d been single for years, and it was rare for him to meet a woman who genuinely intrigued him.
She was beautiful, poised, and—most importantly-sharp as a tack.
Every conversation with Victoria, especially when it touched on their professional expertise, left him feeling like he''d learned something new.
Her insights, even as a CEO, left Curtis in awe. He found himself more and more captivated by her.
"I''ll be there," Victoria promised.
Violet would be attending that night as well, with McNeil no doubt by her side.
In the past, Victoria would have done anything to avoid running into them-just as she''d tried to do at lunch that day.
But now McNeil was making a show of apanying Violet everywhere, clearly trying to pave the way for her future.
Victoria couldn''t hide forever.
After all, she was the one wronged by the marriage. Why should she be the one to slink away?
That afternoon, Victoria made a stop at the preschool.
The teacher was waiting for her in the office.
Pouring her a cup of tea, the teacher broached the subject gently.
"Ms. Turner, is everything all right between you and Gwh''s father?"
The question caught Victoria off guard.
She and McNeil had always taken turns dropping Gwh off, and sometimes the family driver or nanny handled it. They''d never appeared together at school events, but that hardly seemed enough to prompt such a question out of the blue.
"Did Gwh say something to you?" Victoria asked, a little uneasy. She knew she''d quarreled with McNeil a few times, and regretted letting their issues spill over in front of their daughter.
"No, Gwh didn''t say anything," the teacher replied, "but I noticed something myself."
She handed Victoria a drawing titled "My Family," drawn by Gwh.
"Look here,” the teacher said. "I
remember in Gwh''s earlier drawings, you had long hair, wore simple clothes, and had a fair face. But in this one-hertest-you''re wearing lipstick, and there''s even a beauty mark by your eye. That''s why I wanted to speak with you."
Victoria studied the picture: a man, a little girl, and a woman standing beside the man. She recognized Violet immediately.
In her daughter''s mind, Violet had already be part of their family.
Victoria didn''t want the teacher to get the wrong idea-it wouldn''t be good for Gwh.
"I was in a y recently," Victoria exined. "I was wearing stage makeup, including a beauty mark. Gwh must have seen me like that and put it in her drawing."
"Is that so?" The teacher still
sounded uncertain. "Either way, as her parents, you should both pay more attention to her. And try to make sure she gets enough sleep at night. Has she been ying video games? She''s been telling her friends all about some racing game, and mentioned ady at home who''s really good at it."
The teacher genuinely cared about Gwh. She was a bright and lively child, buttely she''d been acting out-falling asleep during the day and making
excuses.
Victoria knew exactly what was going on.
She never let Gwh near electronics, and TV was strictly limited to two hours on weekends. Video games were out of the question; she believed too much screen time would only make a child restless and harm their eyes and health.
"It must be the housekeeper," Victoria said with a polite smile. "I''ll remind her to keep an eye on things."