Gasps filled the room.
A woman covered her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Someone else whispered, "Did she just say...?"
I didn't care.
I meant what I said.
Riley looked stunned for a split second before her lips curled into a sneer. "You're lying."
I exhaled sharply, my body trembling. "No, I'm not."
"You're just making excuses for your mother," she snapped. "Playing the poor little victim so people will feel bad for you."
I let out a bitter laugh. "Victim?" I stepped closer, my voice calm, steady. "Do you know what it's like to wonder where your next meal is coming from? To watch your mother strip in a club because it was the only way she could feed her child?"
Riley's eyes flickered, but I didn't stop.
"My mother did whatever she had to do to survive. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't
