Ella
The restaurant was cozy and warm, with soft lighting that made everything feel intimate and comfortable. We got a table by the window, and I could see people walking by on the street outside, laughing and holding hands and swinging their shopping bags.
Real families. Real couples.
“I’m sorry,” I said to Lilith as soon as we’d ordered our food. “I didn’t mean to pry about your past. That was rude of me.”
Lilith shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. It’s just… complicated.”
I waited, not wanting to push again but hoping she’d continue.
“The truth is,” she said, looking down at her hands, “I do view you as a daughter. More than that, actually. You are a daughter to me, Ella. The daughter I never got to raise.” She sniffled and hesitated for
