Stones and Shadows
The sky was a pale, washed out blue when Tessa decided she and Ayisha needed to go shopping. She told herself it was necessary—groceries, household supplies, things for the kids’ new rooms. But deep down, she knew it was more than that.
She wanted to be seen.
For years, she had been painted as the absent mother, the woman who had abandoned her children to Ares and Chloe. Now, she was the one who had fought, clawed, and “won” them back. She believed she deserved acknowledgment. Respect. Even sympathy.
But the world was not ready to give her that.
The trip started normally enough. The mall’s polished floors gleamed beneath the fluorescent lights, the cool blast of air conditioning carrying the faint scent of expensive perfume and roasted coffee beans. Shoppers buzzed
