The air felt heavy as Anaya stood at the threshold of her home, the place that had sheltered her for so many years now becoming just another memory. Dressed in an elegant yet simple outfit, she gazed at the packed bags by the door, the weight of reality pressing down on her chest.

Her mother was the first to break the silence, whispering words of love and regret yet never once asking her to stay. She cupped Anaya’s face with trembling hands, her voice barely above a whisper. "I never wanted this for you, my love. I wanted you to have a life full of choices, free from the past we tried so hard to erase." Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her lips trembled with the weight of emotions she was holding back. "I failed you, Anaya, and for that, I will never forgive myself."