Page 21 of Sweet Heart

08:09 p.m. – Katherina

Thank you. What do you wish to know?

I can’t help but roll my eyes at the formality again, but another part of me is smiling. This is her default setting for the outside world, but she’s already let me see what’s behind that mask. I know she will do it again, so there is no need for me to push it. You don’t chase, babe, you attract.

08:10 p.m. – Mary Mary

Why does it say Katherina?

08:10 p.m. – Katherina

Because that’s my name.

08:10 p.m. – Mary Mary

I thought it was Catherine?

08:10 p.m. – Katherina

It is.

08:11 p.m. – Mary Mary

Wait, what?

08:11 p.m. – Katherina

Katherina is my birth name, but when my parents and I moved to the States, they changed it to Catherine to better fit the English language. My loved ones call me Katherina, though.

08:12 p.m. – Mary Mary

I like that… Katherina. It is a beautiful name.

08:12 p.m. – Katherina

Thank you. What about you? Why Mary and not Marilouise?

I stare at the message for a beat. Of course she’d ask. It only makes sense. So, why wasn’t I prepared for it? And why does it still cut so deep?

08:12 p.m. – Mary Mary

Marilouise is a ghost from my past. It is not who I am, or who I aspire to be. I can’t change where I come from, but I can decide where I go. And I choose to do so as Mary.

08:12 p.m. – Katherina

Mary it is!

My eyes go wide, and a chuckle escapes me. Another joke?

08:13 p.m. – Katherina

And yes, you are right. You are in control of your choices right now, and each one will shape your future. When you are aware of that, you can make more deliberate choices.

I smile and nod at my phone. Not that she can see it, but maybe somehow she can feel it.

Chapter 08

Cat