My mother’s public facade began to crumble. I knew she had always been disappointed she could never provide my father with a son, but unlike my father, she’d never made me feel worthless for it. The look she was giving me right now, though… I wish I’d never seen that expression. The moment when realisation dawned that not only had she birthed one daughter and no sons, the heir she had produced was human. Father’s demeanour never changed, though. He just turned his head back to the audience as he took in a deep breath to address them. I felt like I was suffocating. If the ground opened up before me, I would jump right in, never to be seen again. Tears of shame and embarrassment welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Ellis put his arm around my shoulders and I shrugged out of his grasp, moving to the edge of the stage.
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