Comfort

Emily's POV:

Ethan's words hit me like a ton of bricks, shattering my already fragile heart into a million pieces.

"I didn't know your mom had to pay for you to be here."

His voice was laced with a mix of guilt and regret. The truth cut deep, like a knife twisting in my soul.

I felt like I was a commodity, a transaction, a payment made to secure some unknown benefit. My eyes stung with fresh tears as I processed the weight of his words.

My mom had sold me, bought my presence in his life.

I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, a game where I was the prize to be won. The realization was suffocating, crushing me beneath its weight. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of hurt and betrayal.

A single tear escaped my eye, rolling down my cheek like a lonely raindrop. It was as if my heart was weeping, the pain and sadness overflowing from my very soul.

I didn't bother to wipe it away, letting it fall, a silent testament to the anguish that had taken up residenc