BACK AT THE HOSPITAL Marjorie stepped forward too quickly, and that alone said everything. Panic was already creeping in beneath her carefully maintained composure because she could feel the situation slipping beyond her control, unraveling faster than she could contain it. The shift in her expression happened almost instantly, her features softening with practiced sweetness, her eyes glistening just enough to appear emotional without losing control completely. She looked... Fragile, heartbroken, and convincing. The kind of performance perfected over years of manipulation. She reached for Seraphina’s hands like she was searching for comfort, for understanding, for sympathy she had no right to ask for. “A-After everything…” she began softly, her voice trembling at exactly the right moments. “After everything we’ve done for Elara… I found her starving, abandoned… I begged to take her in… I raised her, protected her, loved her like my own…” Every word flowed too smoothly, too
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