Saturday sunlight spilled across the driveway as Olivia and Mae stepped into the waiting SUV, the leather seats warm and smelling faintly of cedar. Olivia held the envelope Simon had given her inside her bag, its weight a quiet reminder of the life she had stepped into. Mae practically vibrated beside her.
“Via, today we are buying clothes you actually deserve,” Mae said, hugging her shoulder. “No more patched jeans. No more second hand blouses from Laoag public market.”
Olivia smiled weakly. “I do not even know what to buy.”
“You buy whatever you want,” Mae declared. “You are a Jimenez now. You can walk into any boutique.”
The words still felt unreal. A name too heavy on her small frame.
They reached SM, stepping into the bright, bustling air of the mall. The familiar smell of popcor
