ELODIE'S POV~
Liora was always a little wayward, headstrong like her father but she knew when not to push. Especially when it came to school.
That morning, she lay sprawled on her bed, the sheets tangled around her legs, her small face half-hidden in her pillow. "I know," she muttered sullenly, voice heavy with sleep and irritation.
I stood by the door, waiting for her to move, to show even the smallest sign of effort. She didn't. She just stared at me, her brows drawn in that stubborn little frown she got from Dante.
"Mom," she mumbled after a while, "help me squeeze the toothpaste."
There was no warmth in her voice, no soft edge like there used to be. Just that distant, careless tone that sliced through me in a way I couldn't show.
I nodded quietly. "Hmm," I said, my voice calm, be
