He swallowed hard, looking far away, lost in his memories.
"Her adoptive mother... my mate... she never truly accepted her. Never. She was always... a problem, to her. From the moment she was born."
He started talking, slowly at first, then faster, like a dam had broken inside him. And the more he talked, the sicker and sadder I felt for her.
"From the moment she could understand words, she was told she wasn't good enough. Not smart enough, not pretty enough, not quiet enough, not thankful enough. Every good thing she did was met with a 'could have done better.' Every mistake with a sharp 'I knew you'd fail.' She was always compared to other children, always found not good enough. She was made to feel like she didn't belong in her own home. She had to do chores late into the night while
