Valeria's POV
Earlier, I noticed that mom hadn't joined us at the table, which was odd, and when I'd asked him about it, he was unresponsive. I asked a second time and he snapped at me.
Even as young as I was back then, I'd known something was horribly wrong. It was obvious from the way he held my shoulders, and couldn't bear to look me in the eyes.
"Valeria," he'd started softly. "I need to talk to you about Mommy."
I tilted my head, urging him to go on.
"She's not coming back, sweetheart. She... she decided she wasn't happy with her life here with us. So she left."
The words hadn't made sense. Just last night, mommy had brushed my hair tenderly and sang me to sleep with a lullaby that was about how much she loved me.
"You're lying!" I'd screamed as the weight of his words finally
