Selena's eyes stopped watering as she felt secure. For the first time in her 72 years of life, she felt wanted and completely loved. The years of resentment Molly and James had in her previous life were replaced or overlapped with a new perspective, and now that the couple had been given a chance to thrive, she was able to see it so clearly.
All it took was a little work on something she believed in, and they really just automatically stepped up to support her. James patted her back. Selena allowed herself to feel like a child again. She felt the insecurity and security of her new and developing relationship with the people she thought were her parents. She twisted and clung to James.
"Mom, can you tell me more about the other girl's father? Will it be a problem if I was in the news?" Selena said she knew that
Molly had escaped a very bad situation. She knew that her grandparents had raised her for the first two years of her life until James and Molly had fought for custody of her. She sensed that there was a bigger story behind her mother's life experience than she ever was allowed to know.
Molly's spine stiffened. James's hand stopped patting her. She turned to face her. "Rob and I got involved when I was 15, when I was a kid. We all were." Molly swallowed a mouthful of air and hiccuped. "James and I had broken up, he was shipped off to military school by his father for smoking pot with me." Molly paused and laughed while looking at James.
"While my 'Romeo' was gone, Rob came into the picture. He was older, he seemed cool on the surface, we did drugs together, he drove and could get me booze. I dropped out of school, and we moved from state to state as we trafficked everything. I was addicted to crack and heroin when I found out I was pregnant. At that time, Robert was still climbing the ranks and was very abusive. I knew a child could not survive the lifestyle, nor could I anymore." Molly paused, a haunted look scrawling across her face.
"So I ran. Robert was already cheating on me with other girls at that point. I pocketed cash, hiding it from him, and made a break for it. I, however, could not shake my habits, well until I gave birth and saw the tiny baby struggling because of me. Robert did not follow me, but yes. He is very dangerous. It's more that I cannot be seen in the news." Molly answered and drew a big breath in.
Selena was mature enough to know the half-truth. She grew up under her wing and had street smarts and a head for these things. Her current biological daughter was raised with a soft hand; McKenna probably was not mature enough to handle the truth safely.
She had done a lot more to get to the place she was today. If McKenna knew and Eun Ho was being truthful, she would need to wait a long time to tell her biological daughter the truth or just die with the truth. Either way, it would not be safe for anyone- not James, her, or any of the girls- if Rob knew about them.
"Sit down, let's do your makeup together," Molly said, looking at her daughter. She looked at the expensive F.A.B Makeup that she and her daughter had both bought. The skincare set. They both had such a great time shopping that day and doing their makeup and hair together now. "James, can you get my curling iron and hair spray?" Molly asked as she got down to work transforming her daughter. She could see those people's facial features. She wondered if her daughter looked like her or Robert. Would she be as amazing as Selena, or would she look down on her for all of her mistakes?
"You always seemed to be too good to be his. I thought it was my genes. The Gonzales family are psychos. You can never tell the other girl or your…other parents, at least not yet," Molly said. She worried about the kid that she could not mold. Selena was a miracle. It was because she had to be too tough.
A.A. had access to her mind now, it spent the night getting to know its host better before it faded. Selena had permitted it, knowing that its days were numbered. It didn't relay its rationale: The other daughter seems to have a personality disorder. It had thought of how to defend its host in two years. The plan was to graduate early. Study, study, study.
Molly sighed and thought of the ways she failed her current daughter as she lovingly prepared her to meet her rich parents. A better mother would have known there was something wrong. Her epilepsy is genetic. She had recognized the symptoms from all the library books she and James had taken out. Things that were explained as intellectual or developmental problems when she was just a child were most likely due to it.
Molly remembered her episodes; before they'd gotten worse, she would often stop paying attention, then have the worst tantrums. Those were seizures, but her intelligence wasn't affected. She met all her developmental milestones, she'd just have these focal seizures. It was worse than she thought. What if they happened when she and James were drinking? She played alone a lot.
Molly felt guilty; perhaps if she had been diagnosed earlier, she might have been able to spare her a lot of today's misery. Her family had always been healthy; she just did a lot of harm to her baby in her womb, and she assumed that all of this was the repercussions of her actions back then. So she was left without the proper drug therapy because they had the wrong charts and information from the get-go.
"Perfect. You look like that Angelina Jolie from the movies." Molly said, forcing a grin on her face.
Selena looked at Molly's face. She was still shaken by the earth-splitting news. Her Mom, the one who embraced her so lovingly in all her faults, wasn't her biological mother?
Selena's heart was crumbling, it didn't matter to her. But Molly, a woman like her, could kill her. She remembered the soul-shattering death of the kids. It started with Laena, Micah, and Nari, and then there were too many others to count. She wanted to die at one point, and she was just a caretaker. Children wormed their way into your heart.
Selena looked in the Mirror. She had put her all into the look. "Mom, it looks so good," Selena said. Her hand cupped Molly's on her shoulder. The sleek and voluminous pony was curled. She was already in the best shape of her life. She looked in the mirror and looked back, she looked really pretty. Molly used to just limit her to light makeup, the slight cat eye made her look like a doll.
James guffawed. "More like an angel than that lady. Jeez, Molly. She looks grown up. She looks like that Kira lady." James did not mind the first impression that Lowrie got was of this mature version of his daughter. He got to see the still little girl version.
"I will get out of your hair so you can get dressed. The Lowrie's are sending a ca, and all the trimmings, Princess." James said, and stood limping in his suit, smoothing it out. He saw the limo waiting outside on his way over. He knew Molly was delaying the inevitable. But he was more than happy to support her, pick up the pieces, and get to know this second daughter. It was a new beginning for them.
They will be leaving all of this behind after tonight. The moving truck and packers would store their busted furniture and pack their clothes and personal items. The Lowries moved fast. Would Molly and Selena adjust?
Selena's legs felt like they weighed 100 pounds each as she walked downstairs. Molly tried to encourage her, but she didn't want to leave her childhood home. She had just returned here. She felt her mom's hand on her back. "It's okay, baby girl, they assured me that you would have a lot of flexibility in where you live. Okay? We're not going to just abandon you." Molly said.
"I am so scared, Mom," Selena admitted. She was about to enter a very intimidating world. Molly squeezed her hand and dragged her down the stairs. She put on a brand-new woolen peacoat over her shoulders, and she followed James and Molly reluctantly out the door.
A limousine sat outside their home, looking as out of place as can be in the mixed-income neighborhood. "Really?" Selena said. Who were these people?
Molly was unfortunately not fazed, she worked limousines all the time. James jumped when the door opened. "Get in, ladies," he said as he walked to the other side of the vehicle. Selena, at least, found a reason to smile. James hated lowering service people in this manner. However, it was all right for him to open the door for his daughter and wife.
As Selena stepped into the limousine, the soft glow of the interior lights enveloped her, but instead of feeling luxurious, it felt suffocating, like being trapped in a velvet-lined coffin. The air was thick with the scent of polished leather and the faint hint of cigar smoke.
The interior of the limousine was a masterpiece of opulence, with plush, cream-colored seats that seemed to swallow her whole. The floor was covered in a thick, velvety carpet that muffled the sound of her heels as she moved. The walls were adorned with intricate silver accents that seemed to dance in the dim light, casting eerie shadows on the ceiling.
A crystal glass partition separated the driver's compartment from the passenger area, giving Selena a sense of isolation as if she was floating in a luxurious bubble, disconnected from the world outside. The tinted windows seemed to absorb the light, casting a dark, foreboding gloom over the interior.
As she settled into the seat, Selena felt a shiver run down her spine. The limousine, meant to be a symbol of luxury and sophistication, felt like a prison, a gilded cage that was carrying her towards a fate she couldn't escape.
The city lights flew by. She was not used to driving a car. They pulled up to Masa. The door opened. The restaurant had been emptied. Tasteful holiday decorations were hung. Her birth parents must have been incredibly wealthy. "What the fuck?" Selena said and covered her mouth.
Molly gave her daughter a free pass on her cussing and squeezed her hand. "It is probably going to be a huge shock for you. These people...they are very powerful. But they promised they would let you make your own choices."