Seraphina's POV
Mrs. Lancaster was finally back from her trip. And the moment my eyes met hers in the hallway, I knew that living under the same roof with her again would be a war.
People say a woman becomes a mother when she gives birth, but that's the biggest lie I've ever heard.
Because a mother isn't someone who just gives you life… She's the one who gives you warmth and a place to return to.
And for me… Mrs. Lancaster was just a woman who gave me life, not someone who ever wanted me to live it.
She had never looked at me like I was her daughter in this life or the last.
The orphanage dean I grew up with… She was better than her. She had more warmth in her wrinkled hands than this woman ever had in her entire soul.
So when Mrs. Lancaster raised her voice and told me to get out, I didn't flinch.
I didn't beg to let me stay. There was nothing left inside me that would shatter anymore.
I just stood there with my head high and eyes locked on hers.
