Whispers of Shadowed Hearts

Chapter 2

Summer Brooks 

"Are you sure about this? Won't they think badly of me?"

 Amanda shook her head from side to side and then reached out from her wheelchair, placing her arm against my back. A cool breeze touched the open back of my dress, giving me a shiver.

"Everyone needs to get used to this. You are now a part of this town and this house." I smiled at her. It still didn't feel real that she could accept me so quickly. Perhaps life had finally decided to smile on me. Maybe it thought I had suffered enough.

"Amanda." She turned to me. "Thank you, for everything."

"No, thank you. After my husband's death, I had no one by my side." She averted her eyes. "Come on, let's go inside."

She had given me one of her old dresses for the event. The dress from her youth was so stunning that I couldn't help but wonder what kind of woman Amanda had been in her younger days. The golden satin fabric fit my body as if it had been made just for me, hugging every curve, and there was a slit in the front.

The event was held at a very elegant mansion. However, dark clouds gave the mansion a gloomy atmosphere. It was hard to believe that some people actually lived in such homes. On the other hand, there were mothers wondering if they could bring food to their children tonight, while their stomachs growled from hunger. Life wasn't fair.

'Mrs. Linwood! It's been so long since we've seen you here. I was beginning to think you wouldn't join us anymore.' A blonde woman with beautifully styled hair, pinned with a white flower, stood beside Amanda. It was clear she was way too wealthy.

"Hello to you too, Mrs. Rothschild. I'd like to introduce you to Summer; she will be staying with me from now on."

The woman's blue eyes turned to me. Despite all her wealth, there wasn't even a hint of arrogance in her eyes. She was clearly a kind woman—elegant. 

"Oh, hey dear! I'm happy to hear that Amanda will no longer be alone in that gloomy mansion of her." Her smile was reaching her eyes. "I always said her she can live with us but she did not accept it." 

"My dear Lillian; I am not that old yet." Elegant lady, Lilian, smiled again and she accompanied us as we walked toward the parlor, where the sound of classical music drifted out.

"Please tell me the reason you stopped visiting us and shut yourself away isn't because you thought you were alone." Lilian put her hands on her hips and gave a hurt look. Amanda shrugged.

"I couldn't possibly attend family gatherings only by myself!" Lilian was about to say something when Amanda cut her off. "But it's great that I now have Summer with me, so I'm not alone. I'd like to introduce her to your son as well. That way, when she starts school, she won't feel lonely and will have someone she knows."

"Of course, that's a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, my rude son still hasn't arrived. He said he'll join us later with his friends." She shook her head as if annoyed. "That boy... He is driving me crazy sometimes." 

"Aren't all teenagers like that? Don't be too hard on him."

"Maybe it's because I've never been hard on him that he's like this. I think we've left him too alone." As Amanda and Lilian, who hadn't seen each other in a long time, engaged in a deep conversation, I took the opportunity to observe my surroundings.

Lilian's house was so bright that the depressive atmosphere outside instantly faded, replaced by grandeur. Many people, whom I had never seen before, were dressed in elegant clothes, flashing fake smiles. Was it normal for the ceiling to be this high, or was it just another display of wealth?