23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
Marcus Cole watched with furrowed brows as ra Vance handed over a thick folder
to Olivia Monroe. The two women stood by ra’s former desk, now cleared of all personal items.
“These are all the major files you’ll need,” rà exined, pointing to color-coded tabs. “I’ve highlighted the priority projects in red.”
Olivia epted the folder with a nervous smile. “Thank you for being so helpful with the transition. I wasn’t expecting…”
“For me to make it easy?” ra finished with a slight smile.
Marcus couldn’t help himself. He approached them, coffee in hand, curious about this peculiar dynamic.
“Most people would fight tooth and nail to keep your position,” he remarked, studying ra’s calm demeanor. “Yet here you are, practically gifting your recement with your hard-earned knowledge.”
ra met his gaze steadily. “I’ve made my decision, Marcus. There’s no point in making things difficult for everyone else.”
Olivia nced between them. “I’m grateful, regardless. Would you like to have dinner sometime? I’d love to pick your brain about some of these ounts.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fully booked these days,” ra replied, checking her watch. “I should go. My research awaits.”
Marcus watched her walk away, her shoulders straight, her steps purposeful. He turned to Olivia. “I’ve known ra for years and never seen her like this.”
“Like what?” Olivia asked.
“Free,” he answered simply.
ra settled at her desk in her home office, preparing to dive into her AI research
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23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
when her phone rang. Cora’s name shed on the screen. She answered immediately.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
“Mom, can youe make dinner tonight?” Cora’s voice was demanding yet hopeful. “Mr. Finch made pasta again, and I want your special chicken.”
ra closed her eyes briefly. In the past, she would have dropped everything for such
a request.
“I’m sorry, Coco. I can’t tonight. I’m working on something important.”
Silence stretched between them. Then came Cora’s confused voice, “But you always
“I know, but things are different now. I’ll make it for you next time you visit me.”
“But I want it tonight!” Cora’s voice rose. “What’s more important than me?”
The usation stung, but ra remained firm. “Nothing is more important than you, Cora. But I have responsibilities I need to attend to.”
“You’re just being mean!” Cora shouted before the line went dead.
ra stared at her phone, feeling the weight of her daughter’s disappointment. She almost called back, almost gave in. Instead, she sent a text: “I love you, Coco. We’ll talk
tomorrow.”
She set the phone aside and turned her attention to herputer screen, but Cora’s wounded voice echoed in her mind. Minutester, her phone pinged with a message
from Julian Croft.
“Attending the Northridge Tech Summit tomorrow? Several investors specifically asked if you’ll be there.”
ra hesitated only briefly before replying, “Count me in.”
Cora Thorne threw her phone across her bedroom, tears streaming down her face.
“She doesn’t love me anymore!” she wailed, copsing dramatically onto her bed.
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23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
Mr. Finch, the housekeeper, stood in the doorway, rmed by the outburst. “Miss Cora, please calm down. Your mother loves you very much.”
“No, she doesn’t!” Cora sobbed. “She used to do anything I asked. Now she says she’s too busy!”
Mr. Finch approached cautiously. “Perhaps she truly has important work tonight. Shall we call her back?”
“No! I hate her!” Cora buried her face in her pillow. “I won’t eat until shees and
makes me dinner!”
Mr. Finch sighed. “Your father won’t be pleased if you skip dinner again.”
“I don’t care! Call Daddy and tell him Mom is being mean to me.”
The housekeeper recognized the growing tantrum and nodded. “I’ll call Mr. Thorne. In the meantime, why don’t you wash your face ande downstairs when you’re ready?”
Cora just sobbed harder, clutching her pillow.
Mr. Finch quietly left the room, concerned about the increasingly frequent emotional outbursts from the child since Mrs. Thorne’s departure. He dialed his employer’s number, bracing himself for the conversation.
Damien Thorne stood in a crowded ballroom, champagne flute in hand, half-listening to an investor’s animated spiel about emerging markets. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Seeing Mr. Finch’s name, he excused himself and stepped away.
“What is it?” he asked without preamble.
“I apologize for disturbing you, sir,” Mr. Finch said. “But Miss Cora is quite upset. She asked Mrs. Thorne toe make dinner, but Mrs. Thorne declined. Now Miss Cora refuses to eat anything.”
Damien pinched the bridge of his nose. “Put her on the phone.”
Momentster, Cora’s tear-filled voice came through. “Daddy, Mom doesn’t love me
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23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
anymore! She won’te when I need her!”
“Cora,” Damien’s voice was firm but gentle. “Your mother is busy tonight. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
“But she always came before! Always!” Cora hupped between sobs.
Damien considered his next words carefully. “Things are different now. Your mother has her own work, just like I do.”
“Cancel it!” Cora demanded. “Tell her to cancel like she used to when you needed her!”
The words hit Damien oddly. Had ra really been canceling her ownmitments whenever he needed something? He pushed the thought aside.
“Coco,” he used her nickname strategically, “if you eat your dinner tonight, we’ll go to that theme park you like this weekend. Just you and me.”
The sobbing paused. “Really? The one with the big roller coasters?”
“Yes. But only if you stop this tantrum and eat your dinner.”
“Can we go on all the rides? Even the scary ones?”
“All of them,” Damien promised. “Now, will you eat what Mr. Finch prepared?”
“Okay,” Cora agreed, her mood shifting instantly. “Love you, Daddy!”
“Good girl. I’ll see youter tonight.”
Damien ended the call, frowning slightly. ra had always handled Cora’s emotional needs. Her absence was creatingplications he hadn’t anticipated.
He returned to the ballroom, where a colleague immediately approached him.
“Everything all right, Thorne? You looked concerned.”
Damien shrugged casually. “My daughter was throwing a tantrum and refused to eat. I had to pacify her.”
His colleague chuckled. “Kids, right? Thank god for nannies.”
“Indeed,” Damien replied, though something about the exchange left him unsettled as
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23 A Daughter’s Heartbreak, A Mother’s Resolve
he rejoined the party.
Back in her office, ra stared at her screen, unable to focus. She could picture Cora’s tear-streaked face, hear her usatory tone. For seven years, she had molded herself around her daughter’s needs and wants, just as she had with Damien’s.
Her phone pinged with a text from Mr. Finch: “Miss Cora has calmed down. Mr. Thorne spoke with her.”
Relief washed over ra, followed immediately by a pang of guilt. Should she have gone? Made the chicken? Been the mother who dropped everything for her child?
No. She had to break this pattern. Cora needed to understand that love didn’t mean constant avability or self-sacrifice.
Her eyes fell on Julian’s message about the tech summit. Tomorrow would be her first major industry appearance since returning to YodaVision. Investors were asking for her specifically. Her work mattered. Her time mattered.
With renewed resolve, ra turned back to her research notes. She would always love Cora fiercely, but she could no longer be defined solely as Damien’s wife or even as Cora’s mother.
It was time for everyone-especially herself-to remember she was ra Vance first.
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