Thalia
My parents walked me out of the mansion, hand in hand.
“Sunshine, we’re going to miss you so much,” my mother cried, while my father wrapped an arm around her, his expression carefully painted with sorrow.
They could have fooled anyone.
Anyone watching would have believed every second of it.
“Mother will come check on you more often,” she wailed even louder.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
Instead, I stared past them and listened to her sob against my father’s chest. The sound should have stirred something inside me—sadness, guilt, regret—but it didn’t. Whatever feelings I might have once had for her had long since died.
So I remained still and let her continue her performance, silently counting the seconds until she finally released me.
Drawing in a slow breath, I gla
