I scrambled out of bed without even stopping to fix my clothes and rushed out of the room. When I reached the living room, I heard the ttering of pots and pansing from the kitchen. I stepped inside and saw Mom. She was actually wearing an apron, standing by the stove.


    "Serena, you''re up."


    She turned to me with a smile. I walked over to her and furrowed my brows slightly. "Mom, what are you doing?"


    She picked up a spoon and stirred the seafood risotto simmering in the pot. "I''m making you breakfast. Serena, you have to eat breakfast every day. It''s important for your health."


    Ever since she got sick, I couldn''t remember thest time we had a moment as warm as this. Such an ordinary kind of happiness had once felt so out of reach for me. And now, it was right in front of me. I suddenly realized how precious this moment was.


    "Mm." I nodded, taking a deep breath as I stood beside her. "Mom, your seafood risotto smells just as amazing."


    After breakfast, I got a call from Patricia. "Serena, have you seen the news online?"


    Mom was tidying up the dishes, and I was still basking in the warmth of the morning. "No, what happened?"


    "The whole situation online haspletely flipped. People dug up all the dirt on your grandmother and your aunt, and now, the sameizens who were attacking you are turning on them instead."


    Her words made me pause.


    "And get this-thepany''s legal department has even sent cease-and-desist letters to the ringleaders who were stirring up trouble. Looks like they''re nning to take this all the way."


    Even though Lexi had been helping me, she was just an entertainment journalist.


    She didn''t have that kind of influence. The only person who could make


    something like this happen was Alex.


    A wave of warmth spread through my chest.


    As I put down my phone, Mom walked out of the kitchen. She sat beside me, adjusting the shawl draped over her shoulders.


    "Serena, was that a call from a colleague?" she asked, for once taking the initiative to ask about these things.


    "Mm." I nodded. "She called to tell


    me that everything online has turned around. Mom, no one is cursing us out anymore. Everyone now knows exactly what kind of people


    ve


    Grandma and Aunt Shirley really are. No one will ever talk behind your back again."


    With this, Mom would no longer have to carry the weight of those rumors. Maybe


    she could finally start healing from her depression now.


    She fell silent for a moment and then let out a soft sigh. "It''s not myself I''m worried about. I''m afraid of how it''d affect you. I''m old now. I''ve seen my fair share of storms, but Serena, you''re different. Your life is just beginning."


    I had never thought about it that way before. Hearing her say it now made my heart ache.


    I lifted my phone with a smile. "But it''s all over now. We don''t have to deal with any of this anymore."