Chapter 3: A Second Chance to Stand Tall

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No one knew I’d been given a second chance.

When I woke up that morning, sun slanting through the faded curtains, I realized I remembered it all—the mistakes, the betrayals, the endless second place. But something inside me had shifted, a quiet determination replacing all that old pain.

In my previous life, after I got the registered letter, Charles came back soon after.

His return always felt like a thunderstorm rolling in: loud, inevitable, leaving a mess behind. I braced myself for it, even now, heart pounding as I replayed the memory.

He said he wanted to take Melissa with him to work, and that I should be understanding and generous.

That old script again—be kind, be accommodating, think of the family first. I was tired of being the doormat.

From then on, I was left to care for two kids and his parents.

The days blurred together: school lunches, doctor appointments, bills stacking up on the kitchen counter. I was exhausted, alone, and everyone seemed to expect more.

I politely declined my professor’s invitation.

It was the hardest letter I ever wrote. I tried to sound gracious, grateful, but my hand shook so badly I nearly tore the page. When I dropped it in the mailbox, I felt something inside me snap.

That was the greatest regret of my life.

Every time things got hard, I’d think about that choice, about what might have been if I’d just chosen myself for once.

I gently rubbed the invitation letter in my hand.

The paper was soft, edges curled. I closed my eyes and imagined a different ending, one where I was brave enough to say yes.

Then quickly packed all my luggage.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I threw my clothes into a battered suitcase, grabbed my daughter’s favorite stuffed animal, and tried not to look back at the kitchen where I’d spent so many years hoping things would change.

In this life,

This was my shot, my Hail Mary. A part of me was terrified, but another part—one I barely recognized—was ready to run.

Not only will I go to the Southwest, but I’ll also leave my two ungrateful kids to Charles.

If he wanted to play the hero, he could see what it really meant to raise children in a world that didn’t care about sacrifice.

Let him take Melissa and her two kids with him to work.

He always acted like they were his real family anyway. Let them see what happens when the world isn’t stacked in their favor.

Ha, let them dream on.

I couldn’t help but smirk. This time, they wouldn’t get away with it. Not if I had anything to say about it.