A sharp gasp came from the crowd.
Unexpectedly, the first to react was Talia herself.
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes turning red on cue, her voice choking up. "Even if I am your adoptive mother, I still raised you! Your biological parents died early. I was the one who changed your diapers and wiped your ass. I fed you, clothed you, and put you through school. Is this how you repay me?"
Talia's wails echoed across the quiet open space in front of the building, causing the elderly onlookers to start whispering among themselves again.
"She has a point. Even if she's an adoptive mother, she raised the child. You can't deny that debt of gratitude."
"That's right. Raising you counts for more than giving birth to you. If this girl won't even care for her adoptive mother, that's just
