Vivienne stood frozen, her chest burning with anger, her hands clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms.
From the corner of the room, Mila peeked out, sensing the storm had passed. Quietly, she padded over to her mother and tugged at her hand with sleepy eyes.
"Mommy… let's go. I'm sleepy."
But Vivienne, still seething from Sebastian's words, jerked her hand away harshly.
"What is it now? If you're sleepy, then just go sleep! What do you expect me to do?"
Her voice cracked with frustration, but the venom in her tone stung more than she realized. Turning sharply on her heel, Vivienne stormed off to her own room, leaving Mila standing there in the vast, silent living room.
The little girl didn't know why Mommy was angry, or what she had done wrong. All she knew was that when she had a nightmare, she wanted to be held. Instead, she was now alone.
