The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1052

Katelyn wasn’t exactly clueless—she’d known all along that Autumn had cozied up to her on purpose.

With a hint of regret, Katelyn sighed. “Ana, this is all my fault. If only I’d seen through Autumn’s tricks sooner, you wouldn’t have had to go through all that.”

“Mom, how could this be your fault?” Anastasia smiled, trying to ease her mother’s guilt. “Even if she hadn’t gotten close to you, she would’ve found another way. It’s all behind us now.”

Katelyn’s mood took a dive. “I’ve lived half my life and I still can’t judge people right. Ana, why am I so gullible? First I misjudged Julie, then Sandy, and now Autumn—almost ended in disaster.”

She looked truly remorseful.

Anastasia reached over and squeezed her hand. “That just means you have a good heart, Mom. Only kind people get fooled. You always see the world in a good light. And as for what other people think, we don’t need to worry about that.”

Funny how people get older, but their hearts grow softer—almost like kids again.

Every family’s got its quirks—nobody’s perfect.

What matters is understanding and accepting each other.

Changing the subject, Katelyn asked, “Ana, your sister—well, I mean Sandy—she hasn’t caused any trouble lately, has she?”

Hearing Sandy’s name, Anastasia realized she hadn’t heard a peep from that side in ages.

After Ashley Stanton’s fall, Tavon Morton had gone back to Willowbrook, and it had been radio silence ever since.

Morton Group went bankrupt, and neither Sandy nor Sean had made a sound.

That was so out of character for Sandy.

“It’s been a while since I heard anything,” Anastasia replied. “But Mom, don’t stress about it. I’m heading to the elementary school to drop something off for Pattie. Would you mind taking Emmie and Nancy out this afternoon? They could use some fresh air.”

“Are you kidding? I’d love to!” Katelyn perked up. “What about your mom? She hasn’t come by these days.”

“My aunt’s sick, so Mom’s been looking after her. She just hasn’t had time to visit,” Anastasia said as she slipped on her shoes. “Alright, Mom, I’m heading out.”

“Okay, go on, go on.”

Anastasia grabbed her car keys and drove over to Maplewood Elementary to drop off Pattie’s homework.

She arrived just as the class let out.

Anastasia’s memory clicked. “Oh, Mrs. Carter! What a coincidence—your son goes here too.”

Anastasia sensed a chill in Lisa’s words, though she couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong.

She nodded, keeping it courteous. “Yes, education is very important.”

Anastasia blinked, caught off guard. “Boys? Mrs. Carter, could you maybe spell it out for me? My daughter’s not even nine—how could she be thinking about boys? If I or Paradise have done something to upset you, please just say so.”

Lisa, of course, wasn’t about to admit that her son had slipped Paradise a love letter.

She huffed, “Girls mature early nowadays. I’m just giving you a friendly heads-up—kids mess around with gadgets all day, who knows what they’re up to? If they start falling for each other, it’ll ruin their grades.”

“My daughter’s education is none of your business, Mrs. Carter. I have things to do, so I’ll be going,” Anastasia said, done with the conversation.

Seeing that Anastasia wasn’t biting, Lisa blurted, “My son wrote your daughter a love letter.”