They had aged. Their hair had gone gray in patches.
Their whole bearing had changed beyond recognition.
But as I looked at them, I felt nothing. Not a ripple. Not a stir.
They stared at me, frozen in place for a long time, murmuring under their breath.
"She really does look like... the resemblance is uncanny..."
Maureen walked over and looped her arm through her mother's, making introductions.
"Mom, Dad, this is the classmate I told you about. Doesn't she look just like her?"
Savannah Simmons snapped out of her daze and hurried toward me.
She took my hands, her voice warm with enthusiasm.
"Come in, come in. It's chilly out here."
I stepped inside the mansion. The lavish decor hit me all at once—vaulted ceilings, polished marble, crystal fixtures.
A far cry from the drafty shack we'd lived in all those years ago.
Savannah brought over an elegant gift box and held it out to me, smiling, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.
"Sweetheart, it's our first time meeting, and I didn't know what to get you."
"Just a little welcome gift. I hope you'll like it."
I took the box and opened it right there.
Inside sat a solid gold ring. By its weight alone, it had to be worth several thousand dollars.
Were they really trying this again?
The same trick. The same script. All over again.
I handed the box back to her, smiling politely.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Simmons. I'm allergic to gold."
Savannah froze in place, her hand still hovering in midair. The anticipation on her face crumbled into bewilderment.
I glanced sideways at Maureen. The expression on her face was stiff, unnatural.
Amos stepped in quickly to smooth things over. "No problem at all. If gold doesn't work, we'll pick something else."
"Whatever you like, just say the word."
I shook my head.
"That won't be necessary. I'm just here for dinner. Once we've eaten, I'll be on my way."
Savannah opened her mouth, then closed it again, the words dying on her lips.
Maureen, however, muttered something under her breath.
"What an act."
It was barely a whisper, but every syllable reached me.
Once we sat down, the table was covered with dishes.
Savannah fussed over me immediately. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made a bit of everything. Does any of this look good to you?"
I scanned the spread. Braised pork belly. Sweet and sour fish. All the things I'd loved as a child.
Back then, we'd been too poor to afford them except during the holidays. And even then, I only got to pick at whatever scraps they left behind.
"Thank you, Mrs. Simmons, but I actually prefer spicy food."
Savannah acted as if she hadn't heard me and placed a thick cut of braised pork in my bowl herself.
"Eat up. You're too thin. You need to put some meat on those bones."
I stared at the best piece of pork sitting in my bowl. I didn't touch my chopsticks.
Savannah noticed and tilted her head, curious.
"Why aren't you eating? Is it not good?"
She picked up a piece for herself and tasted it.
"It's fine. Tastes just like it always did."
I set down my chopsticks and cut straight to the point.
"Let's skip the pleasantries. You didn't invite me here just for dinner, did you?"
The couple exchanged a glance, something complicated passing between them.
Amos spoke first. "You're overthinking it. There's no hidden agenda. We just wanted to have a meal with you."
I wasn't stupid. I could see what they were after.
But twelve years had passed. Some things couldn't be undone.
"I know you've figured out who I am. And I won't deny it. I was your daughter once."
"But I truly don't want you disrupting my life again."
"Consider this our last supper."
Savannah grabbed my hand, her grip desperate.
"Sunny, we—"
I pulled my hand free and cut her off.
"My name is Regina Fox. Not Sunny."
