Lyra’s lips quivered, her body still trembling from Sloane’s growl. “You’re… you’re so mean. How can you say such things?” she stammered, clutching Caleb closer.
But Caleb was no longer shaken, his anger roared louder than his guilt. He turned on Sloane, his small frame trembling, but his voice loud enough to echo through the lobby.
“You left me!” he shouted, fists clenched, eyes glistening. “You left me and Dad! You’re no mother to me!”
The words sliced through her chest like silvered claws. For a moment, Sloane couldn’t breathe. The boy she’d once cradled to sleep, who’d once kissed her bruises better, now stood before her like a stranger.
And then came the final blow. Caleb’s voice cracked as he hurled it at her: “You’re not my mom!”
Sloane’s spine straightened. Her eye
