Sophia blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation. “My mother?” She repeated, unsure of where Payala was going with her sudden question.
Paula nodded, her eyes filled with gentle curiosity. “Yes, you've always talked about your father and have always seen your father around here; no one has ever made mention of your mother since you've been here. Is anything wrong…?”
The question hit Sophia harder than she expected, making her feel as though the ground beneath her had shifted. A hollow ache opened up inside her, one she learned to suppress over time. Her mother was a topic she rarely talked about, but now the walls she had carefully constructed around her life that she thought was impenetrable had suddenly begun to crumble just by a question from Paula.
“She… I was told
