Natalia's shoulders stiffened the moment she heard that voice. When they told her family was here to see her, she had expected anything but this. For a fleeting second, she thought it would be Ronan, coming to watch her fall apart. She never imagined it would be her daughter.
Her head remained bowed. Even without sight, she could not bring herself to lift it.
"Just say what you have to," she muttered, her voice dry and hollow of any emotions. "I already know what I am," she said bitterly.
Natasha did not respond at once. She sat across from her, hands resting on the table, staring at the woman she once admired without question. The silence pressed in, Each passing second was more suffocating than the last.. Natasha was sheltered and could never have imagined the monster everyone despised now would be her mother.
