GEORGIA
"Mommy?"
The sweet, confused voice broke the suffocating silence.
I turned around. Valeria stood near the sofa, holding her yellow pencil. Her bright blue eyes were wide, darting from the empty foyer back to my face. She saw the tension. She felt the sudden, sharp absence of the protective father figure who had just helped her count apples.
"Why are you crying, Mommy?" Valeria asked, taking a timid step toward me. "Why did you send the blue-eyed man away?"
A fresh, hot wave of agony hit my throat. I reached up, realizing a stray tear had escaped my icy facade, tracking a warm path down my cheek.
I fell to my knees, meeting her at eye level.
I forced the most flawless, bright, and reassuring smile onto my face. I wore the mother’s mask, a necessary shield designed to protect
