<b>Chapter </b><b>9 </b>
Reba paused, surprised that Samuel had learned about the situation.
*So you know about the divorce, too?” she asked gently. She’d been trying to figure out how to tell him without hurting him too much.
Samuel nodded and said softly, “Yes”
Pulling him closer, Reba whispered into his <b>hair</b>, “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“Mommy, you’re such a dummy,” Samuel said, his innocent face full of concern as he squeezed her hand, “you shouldn’t have fought for custody of me.”
Reba fraze, her heart dropping to her stomach. Does Samuel not <b>want </b>to live with me<b>?</b>” she thought bitterly.
“Even if I live at Daddy’s, you’ll always be my favorite person,” Samuel told her, billing his head in that way that <b>always </b><b>saw </b>right through her. “Til miss you every day ande see you on all my breaks.”
A smile appeared <b>through </b>Reba’s tears before she even realized she was crying.
“You should’ve let Daddy take me, Samuel said, his voice gentle but his words showing wisdom beyond his years. “Then he’d <b>finally </b>get how much work parenting really is.”
“I could never do that,” Reba whispered, <b>feeling </b>that Samuel and her <b>mother’s </b>love were life’s greatest blessings, “I couldn’t stand you growing up in that house. I want your childhood and your whole life to be full of love and happiness
Taking him with her was the only way to keep her son from being messed up. Staying with the Hansons might not seem like a big deal at first, but over time, they’d totally lead him down the wrong path.
Marcus considered <b>affairs </b>normal within <b>their </b><b>social </b><b>circle</b>, <b>and </b>Jeffrey had grown up viewing it as eptable.
She refused to let Samuel be corrupted by their values and wanted him to grow up with <b>a </b>healthy mind and strong character:
*Mommy, you’re such a goof,” Samuel said, holding her tight, his big eyes full of nothing but love. “But you’re the best.”
Reba smiled and ran a hand through his hair. Right then, she knew every hard choice had been worth it.
“Mommy,” he said in that cute little way of his that always melted her heart.
“Yeah?” Reba responded.
Hesitation showed on his <b>young </b><b>face</b>. Did Daddy divorce you because of that secretary from today?”
Reba’s expression froze.
“I saw that <b>hot </b>search topic from the other <b>day</b><b>,</b><b>” </b>Samuel said in his gentle voice, sounding wiser than his years. “Daddy <b>said </b>he was traveling for <b>work </b>today, but his step count kept increasing for hours after ho left.”
Reba wanted to say something, but then hesitated. She was concerned he might not be ready to hear what she had to say.
<b>She </b>also realized at that moment that Samuel <b>was </b>even more perceptive than she was, and she wondered how someone so young knew to check slep
counts.
“Don’t worry about me getting upset, Samuel said, his big eyes showing genuine concern for her.
<b>Samuel </b>was sure of his father’s love for him that wouldn’t change, even if his father had cheated. But he <b>also </b>understood that his father’s feelings for his mother had changed forever, and his greatest worry was that she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Reba still held back the truth,forting Samuel instead. “Even though Mommy and Daddy aren’t together anymore, we both love you just <b>as </b>much
as always,” she whispered.
After their heavy talk, Reba spent time ying games with Samuel to take his mind off things.
Over the next few days, she began searching for both an apartment and a job.
Returning to the workforce after five years away proved challenging. Even with her degree from a top school, she was just another resume in a stack of fresh graduates.
When Jessica called to check in and heard Reba was struggling, she didn’t hesitate. “Why don’t <b>you </be work at mypany? I can offer you our highest starting <b>sry</b>”
“Let me try on my own a little longer,” <b>Reba </b>said, not wanting to cause potential problems and embarrass her friend if things went south. “You’ll be my first call if I strike out,”
“Let me take <b>a </b>look at your resume,” Jessica offered. “I can help you polish it up.”
Reba sent it to her without hesitation
When Jessica wasn’t taking on those small but perfectly–crafted acting roles, she ran an entertainmentpany under the Scott Group.
She know the industry inside out, which made her the perfect person to review a resume.
“You’re still as straightforward as you were right out of college,” Jessica said, scanning the resume. “After all those years with that jerk, didn’t you pick up any of <b>his </b>slick ways?”
Reba was at a loss for words,
Knowing her friend too well, Jessica made a few quick edits and sent it back. “There you go–<b>all </b>fixed up!”
Reba downloaded the updated version. The changes seemed subtle at first nce, mostly just smarter <b>wording </b>that made all the difference.
<b>“</b><b>Look</b>, your resume is like a raw selfie–nobody posts those without a little editing first,” Jessica said, knowing her friend <b>was </b>all about substance over
style.
To <b>put </b>it bluntly, Reba was the type who’d rather let her work do the talking than waste breath on empty words.
But the <b>real </b>world wasn’t like school, where good grades guaranteed sess. Most bosses cared less about perfect results and more about whether one could y the office game.
Even those with average performance <b>could </b>advance if they possessed strong interpersonal skills.
“Honestly, why note work with me?” Jessica offered sincerely. “Whether you want to be an actor, model, or influencer, I can make it happen. Since youpose music, I could partner you with a singer, where you create the music, and she performs it.”
“Thanks, but no,” Reba said. She never wanted to be in the spotlight and disliked both the attention and the idea of strangers prying into her personal life. She just wanted a normal, quiet life like anyone else.
“I know you’d never let me just take care of you,” <b>Jessica </b>said, not bothering to argue since she knew her friend’s stubbornness all too well. “Try finding something on your own first. But if it doesn’t work out, I’m here for you.”
“Okay,” Reba agreed.
After they hung up, Reba started sending out the resume Jessica had helped her polish. To her surprise, it actually worked. Within a few days, her <b>phone </b>was ringing with interview offers from multiplepanies.
Sho thought maybe her luck was finally turning. Every Interview went botter than expected–she breezed through the first and <b>second </b>rounds at each
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But then, at every final interview, something went wrong. She kept getting rejected, leaving her wondering if it was really about her skills or something else entirely.
“We appreciate your interest, but we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates whose qualifications more closely match our needs<b>.</b>”
“Ms. Jensen, thank you for your time. Unfortunately, we won’t be making an offer following the final interview.”
“Hello. After careful consideration, we’ve concluded that your skills aren’t the right fit for this particr position.”
The rejections arrived in a synchronized wave, as if all thepanies had coordinated their decisions.
Reba felt her hopes fading with each sessive call Every second interview had gone wonderfully, and the final rounds had seemed equally promising. She couldn’t understand why they all ended with rejection.
As she was lost in thought, her phone buzzed again with another call,
She knew this would be another rejection. As she answered<b>, </b>a professional voice said, “Hello, Ms. Jensen,
“So didn’t get the job?” She cut straight to the point.
The HR representative paused, surprised by her directness. “I’m afraid not,” the person said.
“Could I ask why I wasn’t selected?” Reba asked, the constant rejections making her question her entire career path. “I was told I had one of the strongest performances in the initial interviews.”
“<b>We’ve </b>decided to go with someone whose experience better aligns with our needs,” the HR representative replied.
“If experience was the issue, I wouldn’t have made it to the final round,” she argued, frustration evident in her voice. “That’s the same excuse I’ve heard
from everypany today.”
The HR representative nced at the directive frompany leadership, silently sympathizing with Reba’s situation.
“Hello? Are you still there?” Reba asked, her voice tinged with desperation.
“This came from upper management,” the HR representative said curtly. “Best of luck in your job search.” Then the line went dead before Reba could respond.
.
As Reba’s confidence hit rock bottom, an anonymous text appeared. [My superiors <b>have </b>been ordered not to hire you. Might <b>want </b>to think about who you’ve pissed off recently.]
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