----
The warm chatter of the welcome party still lingered in Mia's ears as she walked beside Liv through the mansion's garden. The event had begun to quiet down, but Mia's mind was far from calm. Her heart beat strangely fast as she watched Ravien's young daughter toddler through the crowd, cradled in the arms of her mother. Her name was Ann—a name that Mia hadn't heard before, but something about the child made her pause.
The girl's large, innocent eyes and the way she giggled when she saw Mia reminded her of something—no, someone. Not just in appearance, but in essence. That strange, sacred warmth she'd felt at Nia's grave for years. The feeling that someone was watching over her, that someone she once knew still lingered nearby.
She tugged Liv's hand gently. "Mom… I think… I sensed something just now."
Liv looked down at her, concerned. "What is it?"
"That girl—Ann," Mia whispered, casting another glance across the garden where Ravien's daughter played. "She feels… familiar. Like Nia. The same way I feel at her grave."
Liv didn't reply immediately. She placed a protective hand on Mia's shoulder and smiled faintly. "Let's talk more when we get home, alright? I need to speak with someone first."
"Who?" Mia asked.
"My parents. They asked to see me today."
Mia blinked, surprised. "After all this time?"
Liv nodded slowly. "Yes. After all this time."
---
Inside the mansion, Liv stood alone in a quiet drawing room, the laughter from the party now distant and muffled behind thick walls. Her parents sat across from her, aged more by regret than time. Her mother's hands trembled in her lap, while her father stared at the carpeted floor, as if searching for words that would never be enough.
Liv stood calmly. She had prepared for this moment, though she never imagined it would truly come.
"We're… glad you came, Liv," her mother finally said, her voice strained. "It's been years."
Her father nodded. "We've been watching. From afar. Seeing how you've grown… how you've taken care of Mia. We should've…" He stopped, his throat tight with guilt. "We should've done better."
Liv didn't respond right away. She simply looked at them—these two people who had given her life and then, so easily, cast her and Nia aside for the sons they deemed more worthy.
"You neglected me and Nia for most of our childhood," Liv said, voice even. "We were daughters. Just daughters. Never your children , Never the pride. And now, when my sister is gone, and I'm left alone… you suddenly want to apologize?"
Her mother sniffled, eyes glistening. "We didn't understand back then. We didn't realize the harm—"
"No," Liv interrupted gently. "You didn't care to realize. And now, you're burdened by your guilt. That's not the same as understanding."
Silence fell between them. Her father raised his eyes, filled with shame. "You're right. We failed you. And we know we don't deserve anything from you. But… we would like to meet Mia. Maybe not as her grandparents. But as people who owe her mother an apology too."
Liv exhaled. Her heart twisted. For so long, she'd waited for this—a confrontation, an acknowledgment, something. But now that it was here, it felt… hollow.
"I don't feel anything about you anymore," Liv admitted, her voice soft. "Not love. Not hate. Just emptiness. I spent years mourning a family that never mourned me back."
Her mother wept quietly. Her father lowered his gaze again.
"But," Liv continued, "I won't keep Mia from you. If she wants to know you, I'll bring her when you ask. Not as your daughter. But as her mother."
She turned to the door.
"I can't accept your apology," she said over her shoulder. "Because there's no turning back time. But I hope you'll make peace with yourselves one day."
With that, she walked away, her footsteps light but firm.
---
Outside, Mia was waiting under the canopy of an old tree, watching the sun set over the mansion grounds. The sky was painted in oranges and purples, and the world felt quiet.
Liv knelt beside her.
"You okay?" Mia asked.
"I am now," Liv said, brushing a strand of hair from Mia's cheek. "Let's go home."
---
That night, back in their cozy apartment, Liv prepared tea while Mia sat on the couch, holding her sketchbook. She drew quietly for a few minutes, then looked up.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think Nia… could be with us somehow?"
Liv looked thoughtful. "What do you mean?"
Mia hesitated. "When I saw Ann, Uncle's daughter… it wasn't just familiarity. I felt something strong. The same thing I feel every year at the cemetery. It felt like Nia."
Liv's hands paused. "You think… she might've come back? Like you did?"
"I don't know," Mia admitted. "But I'd like to know her more. Ann. Maybe I can figure it out."
Liv nodded slowly. "Then we will. Together."
Mia smiled. "Together."
---
The next day, Liv sat by her desk, watching as Mia practiced handwriting exercises for school. She felt a new resolve blooming inside her—a quiet promise. Whatever paths lay ahead, whatever answers they sought, she would walk them with Mia, hand in hand.
The shadows of the past no longer held her down. They were behind her, dim but remembered. Before her stood the future—unwritten, unknown, and finally… hers to shape..