Anna did not react to Roseline's expression.
She pulled out the chair and sat down across from her, her movements calm and controlled, as if she were sitting across from a stranger rather than the woman who had given birth to her.
"I might have agreed to meet you because you begged me, Mom," Anna said evenly. "But don't make me regret my decision."
Roseline's lips twitched, the faintest crack in the composed mask she had prepared for this moment. Still, she forced a smile and slowly lowered herself into the chair opposite Anna.
"I didn't know you would truly cut ties with us, Anna," Roseline said softly. "But seeing you after so long… it makes me remember my daughter."
Her voice carried emotion, and for once, it was not entirely fabricated.
Roseline might be many things. Cunning. Selfish. Ruthless when cornered.
But there had been a time when her love for Anna was real.
Anna did not respond.
