Grace was born into a very small family and grew up in a small town, with no grandparents around. Her mother, Leila, raised her daughter with the help of a nanny named Shenna. Her father abandoned the family before Grace was even born. Leila never revealed the reason to her daughter, but after that, she vowed never to seek out any relationships again.
Leila grew up in the USA. Her parents and two brothers were well-off, but they never gave her any pocket money. Leila always dreamed of studying history, but her parents refused to pay for her education, claiming it would not help her in life. Therefore, at the age of 19, she left for Canada to work odd jobs.
In that foreign country, she met Grace’s father, and they had a whirlwind romance. After four months, the romance grew into something more, and they got married, eventually obtaining citizenship. But the happiness was short-lived: the young woman became pregnant, and her husband quickly filed for divorce without any explanation, leaving Leila all alone. She voluntarily refused child support, wanting to sever all ties with that "terrible man" and erase his existence from their lives.
Upon learning of Leila's situation, her parents refused to take her back or help her. They were stingy with their money and did not want to support a grandchild from someone "who decided to cut them out of her life."
That was when Leila started her life over from scratch. She searched for any job she could find and stumbled upon a library, where she worked for a long time until she gave birth to Grace.
Leila loved her daughter madly, so helicopter parenting was inevitable. After giving birth, the young mother faced the hardships of parenthood. She didn't know how to raise a child correctly, and the painful trauma from her husband’s departure and her parents' words weighed heavily on her. Despite this, she managed to overcome her struggles for the sake of the only happiness she had left.
When Grace turned one, Leila’s maternity leave ended. Until school age, Grace grew up under the care of the nanny, Shenna. Only then could Leila finally breathe a sigh of relief and dedicate herself entirely to her work and her dream of studying history, hoping to earn more money.
Shenna was an immigrant who, much like Leila in her time, had come to the city looking for work. Because of infertility, she could not have children of her own, so she found comfort in caring for others. Alone, with no relatives or loved ones, she found a real family in Leila and Grace. Shenna adored Grace and treated her like her own granddaughter, and treated Leila like the daughter she never had. It was she who first taught the girl how to bake, which grew into a real passion for Grace.
Shenna became much more than just a nanny; she became an inseparable part of their small family. She attended all the holidays, visited Grace’s school performances, and helped her with everything, staying by her side throughout her life. Even as an adult, Grace continued to regularly visit her "non-biological grandmother."
Since childhood, Grace grew up under the care of her nanny and mother. Shenna taught her how to cook, wash dishes, and keep things tidy while her mother constantly worked to earn money. However, from an early age, the girl began to show strange traits that frightened her mother. Periodically, Grace would not recognize Leila after she came home from work, acting as if she were a total stranger. Doctors diagnosed her with prosopagnosia, or, more simply, face blindness.
Leila was devastated, but she pulled herself together quickly. She started wearing bright, memorable clothes and large accessories. After telling Shenna everything, they began training Grace to pay attention to details—voices, gait, and clothing—so the girl could manage in school without adult help.
In the first grade, Grace met Christy. The girls hit it off instantly and became inseparable. In pursuit of popularity, they managed to get into a group of "cool girls," where they stayed until the fifth grade. It was a difficult and not-so-great period, as the gang was mean, arrogant, and obsessed with fashion. Trying to fit in, Christy and Grace often bullied other children to look authoritative in their leader's eyes. This raised their status among their peers but caused a storm of arguments at home. Leila often scolded Grace, arguing that Christy was a bad influence, but Grace was too attached to her friend to listen.
In the fifth grade, the girls experienced a brief, lighthearted childhood crush on each other that lasted only a week. Christy had feelings for Grace, but Grace realized in time that their feelings were strictly platonic. After discussing it, their friendship only grew stronger.
Soon, Grace realized she liked a boy from a parallel class. Unfortunately, the leader of their group was in love with him too. Upon finding out Grace’s secret, the group publicly shoved her into her crush's locker and mocked her in front of the whole school. Christy was the only one who stood up for her friend, helped her get out, and that same day, they left the group forever.
Before the eighth grade, Grace finally entrusted Christy with her biggest secret, telling her about her face blindness. As a sign of support, Christy dyed matching bright colored strands of hair for both of them. Now, even in a crowd, Grace could flawlessly recognize her best friend. But their joy was short-lived; soon, Christy’s parents decided to move to another city, and the girls lost touch. Grace was left alone, but year after year, she continued to dye her own strands; she liked the look, and secretly hoped that if Christy ever returned, she would recognize her immediately.
After graduating from school, Leila insisted that her daughter follow in her footsteps and study to be a historian. Her mother was terrified that Grace would be left without means, and giving in to her soft but persistent pressure, Grace yielded. At 20, she enrolled in university. While in college, at age 22, Grace entered a relationship with a guy, but they quickly broke up due to his infidelity.
Time flew by. After graduating, 24-year-old Grace worked part-time with her mother at a museum. At some point, she was overwhelmed by a suffocating feeling of being trapped. She was sick to death of the routine, sick of living with her mother at her age, drifting with the flow, and being under constant supervision.
Everything changed with a sudden message on social media from an unknown account. At first, Grace didn't understand who it was until the trigger phrases appeared on the screen: "colored strands," "fifth grade," "the locker." And right after, the name "Christy" appeared.
Grace was shocked and inspired by the coincidence. She had searched for her friend on social media for a long time, but due to her prosopagnosia and the abundance of people with the same name, she had never been able to find her. After so many years of silence, fruitless searching, and her mother’s bans on social interaction, they had found each other again. The correspondence revealed that Christy had moved with her parents to live with her aunt to help with her business. Christy invited Grace to her city to start an independent life, promising great prospects and support.
Grace hoped that the conversation with her mother would go smoothly, but a terrible scandal erupted at home. Leila was furious that her daughter was getting involved with Christy again. Grace was boiling with resentment that, at 24, she was still suffocating under helicopter parenting as if she were a small child. Standing up for her right to independence, Grace firmly declared that she was leaving and bought tickets without telling her.
Leila was deeply hurt and upset, but deep down, remembering her own youth, she understood her daughter's motives, even though her mother's heart screamed with anxiety. Shenna helped Grace pack her bags and comforted Leila as best she could, promising to keep an eye on her while Grace settled into the new city. Her mother and Shenna walked her to the train station and said a warm goodbye.
Once settled in the new place, Grace occasionally received messages from Shenna and Leila. They worried, asking how she was doing and if she had found a job. Grace replied dryly and with short phrases. Leila was deeply worried about this coldness but tried to reassure herself with the thought that her daughter was just too busy with her new, adult life. Shenna supported Leila, reminding her that Grace was an adult now.
The girl worked as a shop assistant for a low salary and lived in a one-room apartment at her friend Christy's place, but she felt extremely uncomfortable. Christy, whom she had been friends with since school, had changed significantly; new guys were constantly appearing in her life. Their presence, the violation of her personal boundaries, and the frequent nights of romance caused Grace serious discomfort.
After a frank conversation, the friends decided that it was time for Grace to move out again; she needed to find separate housing and a more serious job. Christy remembered a small restaurant where she had worked for only a week, but she assured Grace that the owner was quite decent and the schedule was convenient.
Christy didn't even consider her own laundry business for Grace; she didn't want her friend to work such a physically demanding job and sincerely wished for the best for her.
Having closed all her personal issues and settled into her new job, Grace finally felt a solid foundation under her feet and found the long-awaited balance. Her income became stable, she had her own place, and she even began to build a decent relationship with Roman, the owner of the restaurant. Christy helped her friend settle in, giving her her old computer for work, communication, and entertainment.
But, as it often happens with old technology, everything breaks eventually. At the end of the month, when Grace didn't have extra money for professional service, the computer finally gave out. After looking through a bunch of ads, she found a technician named Peter and called him.
The meeting between Grace and Peter on that fateful day became the very event that would forever shatter her peace.
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