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“Hey.” Mom shook my shoulder. “Why do you look so lost?”
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking if you can get through the day without getting sick.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “And if I’m not, you’ll be there with me.”
“Why don’t we hang out here?” I said. “We don’t have to go to a spa.”
Mom turned around to look at Brian. “She sounds just like you.”
“She’s right, honey,” said Brian in a grave tone. “I can get a masseuse service here. The evening will be tiring enough.”
She let out a long breath, looking annoyed.
“Mom, are you pouting?” I asked with a chuckle.
“So, what if I am? I thought you’d be on my side.”
“Iamon your side. We both are!”
Climbing out of bed, I donned a robe and tied it around me.
“Why bother?” said Mom. “You can go back to bed.”
“Let her be, darling,” said Brian. “Let’s get you to bed now. You can take a nap until it’s time for breakfast.”
I nodded enthusiastically. “That’s a great idea. Since I’m up, I’ll just work on a report.”
“Fine,” she huffed, getting off my bed. She let Brian lead her out of the room, mumbling about how I was incapable of taking a break.
My heart clenched painfully. Until now, I didn’t think much of how everything was affecting Brian. I wondered if his decision to legally adopt me was to have someone close to him after Mom died.
It sucked how he couldn’t depend on his own sons. They were all possessive about his money, especially Noah, but they couldn’t care less about their dad.
No matter what happens between me and them, I’ll always be there for Brian, I vowed.
I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, barely able to recognize the girl staring back at me. The black dress with the silk corset top looked even better with matching high-heeled stilettos.
My dark auburn hair was fashioned into an elegant bun at the top of my head and the lady who did my makeup worked magic on my eyes, deepening the color of my sapphire eyes. The choker necklace with red stones completed the ensemble, making my goth princess look amazingly real.
“You look gorgeous, sweetheart,” said Mom as I kept gawking at myself in the tall mirror in her bedroom.
She was dressed in a simpler pale blue gown with fresh white peonies in her dark hair. Her makeup hid all signs of illness, giving her a young, dewy look.
Tears gathered in my eyes as I gazed at her. She’d never looked so beautiful. Her frame was thinner than before but the happiness shining in her eyes was real.
Everything I suffered at the Amhurst brothers’ hands was almost worth this.
“Are you crying, Milla?” Mom asked, rushing to my side.
I shook my head, unable to speak through a choked throat.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, pulling me against her in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry to put you through this.”
“Stop apologizing,” I said in a cracked voice. “It’s not your fault.”
The sound of approaching footsteps made us look up.
Brian entered the room, looking dashing in a dark navy tux.
