Chapter One

BETSY PINCHED HERSELF, and while this did hurt, it wasn't enough. And so she pinched her one-year-old son's cheeks next. Gently, of course.

D chortled in response, and her heart overflowed with happiness.

"You are just the cutest, my love," she couldn't help gushing, and D proved her words to be true as a semi-toothless smile broke over his lips.

Everyone she met had seen D as a burden, but for Betsy, he was the opposite. The moment she had given birth to D, it was as if time had stopped.

I get it, God, I get it, she remembered thinking dazedly to herself as she cradled her son against her for the first time.

When D's father dumped her after finding out he had gotten her pregnant, it was as if her whole world had shattered.

But that was all in the past, Betsy reminded herself.

Today was a new beginning for both her and D, and she owed everything to God. She knew with all her heart that it had been no coincidence that a sudden afternoon rainshower had left her stranded at the bus stop, and Charlotte Carmichaels just happened to be driving by at that moment.

The other woman had offered to give them a ride, they had gotten to talking, and what once seemed a bleak future for Betsy and her son had suddenly been full of hope.

Awe filled Betsy as she gazed up at the eight-story apartment building in front of her. Its structure was reminiscent of Greek temples of old with its imposing Doric columns and exquisitely hand-carved pediment. It should've looked out of place in downtown San Antonio, but the luxurious residential establishment had won awards instead for turning itself into a modern architectural icon.

Only God, Betsy thought in wonder as she slowly ascended the marbled steps leading up to the lobby. Only God and no one else could have made this the workplace for someone as unqualified and undeserving as her.