Secrets and Second Chances

IA'

onths

letely since the day I si

decision I

. Ethan's divorce papers were still waiting for my signature, a

gned

use Ethan

I didn't want to spend the rest of

to choos

my ba

assachusetts with three tiny

over was

no husband to support me, and three

ape

rmu

oth

l appoi

hing co

needed

through job listings while

n the

in the

mes eve

b I found see

k long hours ou

't afford

eave three premat

p screen one night, ex

I suppos

boys stirre

tely reach

as cr

eld him against my che

hhh

owly s

ed down

ngers curled

oticed the blanket

made it

sn't p

n in some places, and th

ade it with

ly, an idea

ized baby

thing

hing s

ng made

ew mother coul

up st

hy

or fabric suppliers and watche

ted a small

w blankets I had made for

for advertising, so I reli

n't expect anyon

, I woke up and c

was a

d at the

e o

onsin had bought o

ost sc

to make sure I ha

had

ually paid for s

o hard my c

you," I

other or

n an

the week, I h

owing wee

n fi

rely

y babies sl

woke up, I to

again, I returned t

s exh

I was

ng time, I was building som

nobody coul

e apartment bec

filled t

were ev

sappeared underneat

ldn't keep doing

Janice came

d had been checking on me sinc

t, and surprisingly t

t my little business,

e my first employee and

an order when she looked at the g

you need

lau

xpa

Ye

I'm barely

hook h

iving. You're bui

oked

ed toward

r a hundred pe

toward t

was r

rders than I

ent, fear

oing to pay

mbered why I

ies nee

needed

my first

or a small b

ugh to rent a tiny workspace do

e they were

lexible hours whene

them were

meant to need an income while still

little bus

personali

y cl

mother-and

nalized nur

kept inc

n email arrived tha

ad it

n tw

a thir

s began

ani

looke

Wh

my laptop

geles wants to order

uth fel

e hun

nod

lebrity ba

nds, we simply st

ce burst o

ets on your dining table to sup

ughed

th the excite

going to make

ce sm

more

was r

, I hired te

ked tir

tti

ew

itc

cka

ingle blanket bef

r, the order wa

and stared at hundreds o

dn't be

ting on the floor of my apartment w

had em

wing b

kets ready to be shipp

the warehouse, I fel

nning toward me

Lo

she had made on social

s, people we

comm

ere they could

tarted fl

iness wasn't l

come somet

igger than I

ater, another

, I almost

ned it

yes w

ani

hed into

t hap

the laptop

tore wants to ca

red at t

ant to s

dded

veral of th

rabbed my

ari

lau

kn

few weeks, w

anyone undervalu

ted with al

represented s

represented a

sented another rea

I signed t

fice afterward, staring a

ice was

n't lux

it wa

d around

d been Maria-the woma

Susan had

rything behind with three p

N

still

also a busi

mot

d built somethi

pread acro

walked towa

s setting o

at the contract

I la

eal

n't heard from

ost my m

he life I tho

long the way, I

lding, holding the contrac

walked

s ho

knew m

hat it had tak

once, I d

d up at

made

filled wi

, they weren't

re tears

could keep the li

chose

to make it the

rebuilding the

uilding