“Auntie… are you really my mom’s friend? How is my mom now? Is she okay in prison? I… I miss her so much…”
Mia’s voice was light as a shaking leaf.
So, she’d known all along that her mother was incarcerated.
I’d thought it would’ve been hidden from her completely. But those clear yet dim eyes told me. Mia had carried far more than I ever expected.
“Your mom is… okay,” I said, crouching down and wrapping her small hands in mine.
“She asked me to look after you. From now on… would you be willing to live with me?”
Mia lowered her head. After a long time, she finally nodded once.
“If you really are my mom’s friend… then I’ll go with you. I’m not happy here. David keeps holding me and kissing me. I don’t like him.”
As she said it, she shrank her shoulders instinctively.
Linda roared in
