Amanda's unexpected marriage.

"What do you mean by that, Dad? How on earth is Amanda my mom? Talk to me, Dad," Adam exclaimed as he drew nearer to Chris.

Chris handed Adam a card, which he collected and opened, curious about what was inside.

Adam tried to calm himself by closing his eyes and exhaling while clenching his fists against the paper.

"What is the significance of this, Dad? How could you do this to Mom? She just died, and you want to marry?" Adam, filled with rage, cried out.

"Amanda is now your mother; I am going to marry her soon, so you must accept her as your mother. The fact that my wife passed away does not prevent me from moving on; as you are aware, our relationship was strictly professional and lacked any romantic overtones."

Adam angrily screamed aloud, ruffling his hair in frustration. He could not take it anymore, so he dashed to his room, closed the door, slipped on the ground, and cried.

"Mom, after everything you have done for him, how on earth could he do this to you? I need you more than anything in this part of my life, mother. I am missing you; why did you go by yourself?" Adam cried, hurt by what his father had told him.

Clutching the picture of his mother, he sobbed and passed out on the chilly ground.

***************

Lena awoke with a growl in her stomach and a dry throat. She looked at the time and saw that it was still early in the morning.

She got to her feet, walked into the kitchen, and rubbed her eyes. She held her stomach because she was currently hungry.

Lena brought some cereal out of the refrigerator to snack on and regretted going to bed so early because she was so hungry.

She rushed the meal and drank some juice.

"Wow. That hit something," Lena smiled, wiping her lips.

"Now it is time for practice."

She dashed to her studio in the apartment, got out her brushes, and sat down to practice because the competition was nearby.

Lena was so absorbed in her drawing that she neglected to look at the time because the room was still dark.

Amanda walked into the studio and smiled,

"Here you are; I knew you would be here if you were not asleep."

"Good morning, mom."

"Good morning, sweetheart. Have you checked the time? You should start getting ready for school, so I will drop you off today."

"Oh, thank you, mom. I was so engrossed in this drawing that I did not realize it was almost time."

Lena went to her room to change into her clothes and freshen up. Lena went out of her room to eat her breakfast.

Amanda pushed her to finish her food so they would not be late to their destination.

Lena finished her meal quickly and got into Amanda's car, and the two drove off.

"I have to tell you something, Lena,"

"What is that, Mom?" Lena questioned, tapping her phone.

"I am getting married."

Lena stopped what she was doing and turned to face Amanda.

"What! You are what?"

"I said I am getting married," Amanda answered, keeping her eyes on the road.

"How, when, and why is that? It is impossible for you to decide you want to get married right away without my knowledge because you have never told me who the man is and I have never seen you with a man."

"Lena, that is why I am telling you, so I can win your approval."

"If I disagree, you will still go ahead, so do not tell me that bullshit," Lena scoffed. "How could you do this to me, Mom? You shattered my trust in you."

"What is wrong with you, Lena? I am remarrying and not committing a sin."

"Did you think I did not know who the lucky man was?" Lena asked her mother, tears in her eyes.

She stepped out of the car.

"Mom, I appreciate the ride," she said as she quickly slammed the car door and went inside.

She wiped her eyes and exhaled deeply to soothe herself; she forced a smile so that no one would see her dejected expression.

Lena was absorbed in her thoughts as the teacher entered the room and started teaching.

*************************

Amanda was concerned about Lena because she was unsure of how to handle Lena's acceptance of the marriage.

In order for her to accept their marriage, she must first grow to like Chris. After arriving at her office, she settled in and began to consider ways to calm Lena's ire.

She went to Chris's office because she needed to talk to him, but he was preoccupied with files.

"We need to talk," Amanda insisted.

Chris got up and sat down on his couch after closing the files.

"Go ahead."

"It is about my daughter, and I know Adam does not like me. Lena did not agree to our marriage, so I believe we should have a family dinner tonight to make her like you."

"Mmm, that sounds good. Adam was furious last night when I told him about our marriage, but he is 20 years old, and he should not act like a child anymore."

"When he finishes his studies, I want him to take over the company. I found out that your daughter is a student at his previous college."

"Has he accomplished everything he needed to look for at his previous college?"

"Yes, he has finished it."

"All right, Amanda, thanks for your help. I need to tell Adam who the woman he claims to be his mother was. I will make a reservation for tonight's dinner."

**********************

When break time arrived, Lena got up to stretch because she had been sitting for several hours. She then went to the cafeteria to eat lunch and carry on with her drawing in the studio.

Lena needed to check on Stacey since she had taken a sick leave from their classroom teacher. After eating, Lena headed to the studio.

She was dragged into a small room by a hand and forced against the wall.

She let out a gasp at the person's abrupt action.