The Day Our Promise Breaks

Dahlia stepped back into her room, feeling a wave of calm wash over her after a soothing shower. Today had been a rough one-Evelyn had outsmarted her, all because Dahlia had underestimated her. She tucked this incident away in her mental notebook, knowing full well that she'd get her chance for revenge. There was no way she was going to let Evelyn have the upper hand indefinitely.

Once in bed, she snapped a quick selfie in her pajamas and sent it to Charles with a sweet goodnight message. But just as she hit send, her phone buzzed. Thinking it was Charles, she answered without hesitation.

"Cha..." she started, but was cut off by Evelyn's mocking voice echoing in her ear, "Dahlia, didn't you say you wouldn't let me get away with it?"

The anger Dahlia had tried so hard to quell roared back to life. "You witch, you did this on purpose!" she spat, realizing too late that Evelyn had set her up from the start. Even when she struck her, Evelyn had been careful not to leave a mark.

"So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" Evelyn taunted with infuriating calmness before hanging up. The beeping line only fanned the flames of Dahlia's rage. She couldn't believe it-two years ago she was the one getting under Evelyn's skin, and now the tables had turned.

"Witch!" Dahlia seethed, her frustration boiling over as she hurled her phone across the room. She was livid.

...

While Dahlia tossed and turned in anger all night, Evelyn slept soundly, not a care in the world. When she had hit Dahlia, she'd been careful not to leave any visible bruises. Even if Dahlia tried to get a medical report, it wouldn't qualify as an injury. No matter how much Charles cared about Dahlia, what could he really do?

The next morning, Evelyn rose early, whipped up a nutritious breakfast for her mom, packed it in a thermos, and headed to the hospital. By seven, Josephine was already outside, getting some fresh air with the help of a nurse.

When Evelyn arrived, she saw Josephine watching a little scene unfold on the nearby lawn. A lively little girl, about four or five, crouched in front of a boy who looked around eight or nine. They both wore

hospital gowns, but the girl'svela

was undampened; she grinned at the boy, chatting away like a little magpie, despite his cool demeanor.

"Look at that tiny flower, it's smiling at you! Maybe you should smile back?" she suggested with a giggle Then, offering him a piece ofnoveldrama

chocolate she'd been saving, no

she

added, "Here, take this. It'll make you super happy."

It was clear she cherished the chocolate, and after handing it to the boy, her eyes couldn't help but linger on it longingly. She even swallowed hard, her anticipation obvious. Her little greedy expression was endearing to watch.

The boy, maintaining his stoic facade, eventually unwrapped the chocolate, and the girl's eyes widened with excitement. "Go on, it's really yummy," she encouraged, a bit of drool escaping her lips.

Unable to resist her charm, the boy finally relented and fed her the chocolate, a faint smile breaking his cool exterior.

"Mom, what's got you smiling?" Evelyn asked, crouching beside Josephine. Josephine looked down at Evelyn, brushing her fingers through her hair tenderly. "Watching them reminds me of you and your 'Iceman'," she said warmly.

Evelyn, always eager for glimpses of her childhood she couldn't quite remember, listened intently as they headed back to the room. “You were such a lively little thing," Josephine continued, "always smiling, like a little ray of sunshine." The memory tugged at her heart, a bittersweet reminder of a cherished past.