Mom pulled back, her eyes red and swollen, her face wet with tears, her mascara smudged like a warrior's paint after a lost battle. The weight of her realization was crushing her, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she clutched at her chest, her fingers trembling like leaves in a storm.
"I called her a snake… a backstabber…" Her voice was a whisper, her hands covering her mouth as if she could take back the words she had spoken in anger.
The guilt was eating her alive, her mind reeling as the full weight of her mistake crushed her. "And she was protecting me…" Her eyes were wide with horror, her thoughts spiraling into chaos.
"I pushed her away…" she sobbed, her fingers clenching into fists, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
