"Mom?"
A frail voice whispers behind us, and just as Hailey releases me, I feel the aching absence of our closeness. My eyes dart to the door, which had been closed mere moments ago, as the woman who spoke steps forward. Dressed in a blue sleeveless dress with a daring slit, her hair and eyes mirror my own. And in that moment, I realize with a crushing weight that I’m looking at my daughter. It’s nothing like one had imagined the revelation of a lost child.
"Who is this man?" Her eyes blaze with anger and accusation, piercing right through me. In that instant, my mind goes blank, and I become paralyzed. I yearn for a miraculous escape by simply sinking into the ground, fleeing this scene of humiliation that I never expected.
"Your father, Sophia," Hailey says, her voice trembling slightly as she keeps her hands firmly clasped behind her back, her gaze locked onto me as if daring me to explain.