Keenan Manor, Northdale.
Flora felt like she had been pulled out of a long dream. When she opened her eyes, an elderly woman sat in front of her, holding her hand gently.
"Child, you finally woke up," the woman said softly.
Flora pulled her hand away at once.
This was Maria.
It was the first time she had ever met her.
Maria had once found her through a DNA test. Flora had refused to meet her back then. She rejected every attempt to reconnect. The woman who once abandoned her had no place in her heart.
"Do not worry," Flora said flatly. "Since I agreed to the marriage, I will not break my word."
Maria wiped her tears.
"Child, I know I cannot make up for anything," she said quietly. "Your parents are gone. Your adoptive mother is gone too. Now this place is your home."
The funeral
