Charlotte closed her eyes, feeling the same pain her daughter was drowning in.
How could she not?
After all, as her mother, it had always been her responsibility to make Clara feel whole … to make her feel secure, loved, and confident in her place within the family. And yet, somewhere along the way, she had failed.
Failed so deeply that her daughter now questioned whether anything in her life truly belonged to her.
If someone had to be blamed for that—
It should be her.
"Mom …" Clara's voice came out soft, fragile through her sobs. "If I hadn't been switched after birth … would everything have been different?"
Charlotte's lips parted instinctively.
She wanted to say no.
Wanted to deny it. To erase that possibility entirely.
But no words came out.
Because deep down …
She didn't know.
She closed her eyes again, her chest tightening painfully.
And when she opened them—
Something inside her had already settled.
"Is that role… really important to you?" she asked quietly.
