The loud ringing of the alarm made Diana groan and curl to her side, her arm extending to the nightstand to turn off the offensive sound. A moment later, she sat up and ran her fingers through her long, messy hair, pushing them away from her face. She turned to her side and saw her young daughter sleeping peacefully, unaware of the dilemma her mother had to face every single day since she was born.
Diana's lips curled into a smile, and kissed her daughter's crown. She regretted many things, but Isabella wasn't one of them.
She sat up, feeling sleepy. The sun outside wasn't up yet, but it was easy for her to adjust to the dimness of her surroundings. After checking the time on the clock, Diana forced herself out of her comfy bed despite her need to sleep more. However, knowing that she had a hectic schedule waiting for her, Diana knew better than to delay any longer. Isabella would start attending school soon and needed to raise funds to support her growing daughter. She also knew they would need to stop moving to a new place frequently, lest Isabella suffer.
If it were in the past, she could enjoy the leisure of staying longer in her bed without worrying about anything, but alas, she had already left that kind of life a long time ago. A life filled with deceit, betrayal, and a constant fear of being found. She would be damned if she decided to go back with her tail tucked between her legs.
Diana would rather stay in her one-bedroom apartment than swallow her pride and admit she was wrong. However, a part of her knew she could not hide from her past forever and would eventually have to deal with it. But not today. Certainly not today.
In the meantime, she would enjoy her alone time with her daughter in a foreign place where no one knows the real her. Diana never stayed in the same place for too long. The longer she stayed in one place, the higher the chances she might be found. Even now, she knew they were actively looking for her, albeit not as thoroughly as she thought they would.
'There must be a logical reason for it,' she mulled.
After a refreshing shower, Diana felt more awake. With a white towel draped over her wet hair, Diana sauntered back to her room and pulled out the outfit she had prepared last night. It was a simple white blouse and plain black slacks. She dressed and quickly put light makeup on her face with ease. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror before returning her makeup to the drawer.
A knock on her door made Diana sprint towards it. Outside, a familiar, smiling elderly woman stood. She was Diana's neighbor, who lived in the unit next to hers. Aunt Martha gave Diana a small lunch bag and entered the apartment.
"Aren't you going too early, my dear?" she asked Diana.
Diana smiled and closed the door before checking the lunch bag Aunt Martha had given her. Aunt Martha had been a great help to her. She'd been working as a sitter for Isabella for almost a year now, taking care of not only the child but also Diana.
"I'm just trying to finish some work. They pay me extra whenever I finish early," she shrugged.
She liked that her current company had less office politics, and she had more leeway to work independently with limited interaction with her colleagues. Diana would talk with them , but she never had meaningful relationship at her workplace. She had seen firsthand how some people betray their so-called friends regarding promotion, credit, or attention.
Diana heard Aunt Martha sigh, pulling her out of her trance. She followed Martha to the kitchen. The elderly woman checked the fridge and wasn't surprised that Diana had already prepared their meal for the entire day. Aunt Martha would only need to heat it later for lunch.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, dear. Please spend more time with Isabella. She is starting to ask questions, you know," Aunt Martha replied, reminding Diana of their topic.
Diana immediately fell silent, her lips pressing into a thin line. Isabella had just turned four a month ago, and the young girl was becoming curious about everything around her. Glancing at Aunt Martha, she could see the other woman's kindness and sympathy for her.
Isabella wasn't conceived out of love. Instead, Diana fell pregnant after someone schemed against her and sent her to another man's bed. It was a cruel plan to tarnish her reputation and disrupt her life.
Diana avoided dating like a plague, but that didn't mean no men had tried to be with her. Because of her heritage, she knew things would be complicated if she got involved romantically with someone unless he came from a prestigious family that could rival hers. Even then, she doubted she'd be able to love someone freely.
Diana didn't want to bring trouble or inconvenience anyone because of her circumstances. However, never did she imagined that there would be a day when she would lose her innocence and fall pregnant because of another woman's scheme.
How could she possibly tell her young daughter all of this? Diana didn't want to hurt her feelings. She knew Isabella would eventually question her about her father, and she had no idea how to answer. Isabella was too young to understand the truth, but Diana didn't want to lie. She dreaded the day she would share the truth with her.
"Your daughter is smart, Diana," Aunt Martha said. "She would understand."
Diana looked away. She wasn't ashamed of having a daughter out of wedlock, but she feared how others would treat Isabella. She would rather receive all the criticism than see her daughter bullied. This was one of the things she dreaded might happen in the future.
As much as she wanted to protect her daughter from the outside world, Diana knew Isabella's future heavily rested on her shoulders. She feared that Isabella's lack of a father figure might lead to her being ostracized or bullied by her peers.
It was one thing to be a child out of wedlock, but not knowing who her father was would surely put Diana in a bad position. She dreaded the day when Isabella would blame her for not having a father in her life.