Caroline got a job as a cleaning lady in New York and went to her first assignment. It was a beautiful house in Manhattan, but something shocked her.

There was a picture of her mother in the office. Then a man walked in.“I’m going to do a great job,” Caroline psyched herself up in front of her first assignment. She and her friend, Melissa, moved to New York a few days ago to make their dreams of being Broadway stars come true. But they needed to find jobs first to rent an apartment together.

Luckily, Melissa got hired at a clothing store, and Caroline got a job at an agency for domestic cleaners. It was perfect. It wasn’t that time-consuming, and she loved cleaning because it had a calming effect on her.

Moreover, if no one else was home, she could practice her singing voice. Unfortunately, her mother’s face popped into her mind before walking into her first home. Her mother, Helen, didn’t want her to chase after such silly dreams, much less live in New York.

Caroline was born and raised in Philadelphia, which wasn’t that far away. She didn’t have a father, and her mother never said a word about him. For some reason, Helen really hated New York. She also sheltered Caroline all her life, which was why she had to escape.

When she and Melissa planned their move, she knew her mother would not allow it. Caroline suspected she may even fake an illness just to get her to stay. But Caroline needed to fight for her dreams. It was her life. So, she left a tiny note on her mother’s dresser when she was asleep and ran away.

It had been several days, and Helen had not called her, which was weird. But Caroline assumed she was probably mad at her. Hopefully, she would get over it once Caroline debuted on Broadway. Now, it was time to focus on cleaning this house.

According to the agency director, an older man lives in the house alone, so it was not particularly messy in the first place. When Caroline finally walked inside using the key under the mat as was instructed, she wasted no time to start cleaning—first, the kitchen, then the living room, and moving towards the bedroom.

She hesitated a bit right at the entrance of a serious-looking office, but there were no instructions against coming in. She resolved not to touch too much around the desk and continued cleaning. There was a beautiful fireplace with a mantelpiece on top and huge bookshelves along the opposite wall.

It was the kind of office Caroline had only seen in movies. She tidied as quickly and thoroughly as she could but stopped short at the mantelpiece. There were several pictures on top, but one caught her attention. A picture with her mother’s face. She was at least 18 years younger, but it was her.

“Why is my mother in this man’s pictures?” she wondered out loud. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and an older man entered the office. “Oh hello there! You must be the new cleaning lady. I’m Richard Smith. I own this house,” the man introduced himself with a warm smile.

Caroline hesitated, hoping that the man wouldn’t be mad if she asked about the image. “Who is this woman?” “Ah yes. That’s Helen. She was the love of my life.” Caroline’s senses started pinging. “What happened to her?” she couldn’t help but ask.