Satisfied, Lauren finally stood up and left.The moment the door closed, Amelia cheered and threw herself into Mom's arms, her face flushed with excitement. "This is awesome! We can go out and have fun tomorrow. Mom, you're amazing!"Mom returned her hug, but there wasn't much joy on her face. Instead, there was a trace of complexity and exhaustion as she said softly, "I'd do anything for you, sweetie."But I knew Mom had endured far more than she let on.Before Lauren left, she had lowered her voice into a sharp whisper, and I caught every word she said."You were pretty gutsy when you slapped Micah back then, weren't you?"Then, in the shadows of the entryway, I watched as Mom raised her own hand and slapped herself, over and over again. Even now, the faint red welts on her cheeks hadn't faded yet.Amelia seemed to sense something was off and asked quietly, "Mom… did you get a ticket for Ninette, too?"Mom's gaze flickered before she answered a little too quickly, "No."At t
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