“I don't know. Anger. Happiness. Something.”
Emma smiled gently.
“There's no correct way to feel.”
Sophie stared at the photographs.
“I think mostly I feel curious.”
“That's understandable.”
“And a little sad.”
Emma placed an arm around her shoulders.
“That's understandable, too.”
For a while, they sat quietly.
Then Sophie asked another question.
“Do you regret being my mum?”
Emma turned toward her.
The words were gentle, but they struck deeply.
“What made you ask that?”
Sophie shrugged.
“I know how much you missed. You never got to be a normal teenager. You were looking after me when your friends were doing completely different things.”
Emma took her daughter's hands.
“Sophie, there are parts of my childhood I wish had been different.”
She paused.
“I wish I had been safe. I wish adults had protected me sooner. I wish I hadn't been frightened all the time.”
Sophie's eyes filled with tears.
