Wronged

? 48 ?

I feel my throat beginning to coat thickly in emotion just as a knock on the door is heard. I swallow my sadness down and cautiously stand up again, making my way over to the entrance. I look through the peep hole and feel my heart jump a little at the person standing on the other side.

I'd only seen her one other time, and that was when she came over to our house to check my tattoo over. Ms. Sloan and I didn't really get off on the best start on the account that I rushed her away...rudely. In my defense, I was falling into a pit of denial about Aiden being my soulmate. It was hard enough knowing his mother was in my house. Still, it was no excuse to be hard-headed towards her, and now she's showing up here.

I'm going to take this as a sign that I should make amends and start over with introductions. Obviously this woman is kind yet well-rounded, as she is a doctor and a CEO. So I'll just have to make a best impression...again.

I release a breath and take a step back as I grab the door handle and pull it open. Ms. Sloan holds Lily's hand, who is staring at her shoes nervously. And Ms. Sloan herself looks tired and disheveled. But who can blame her? Her son is on trial for murder as we speak.

"Ms. Sloan," I say, surprise still evident in my tone. "Hi...Lyma isn't here right now, if you're looking for her."

"Hello, Anna," she greets, offering a smile that is crooked to the left. That is her "identifier" I suppose. If I had prosopagnosia or something, that's what I'd use to recognize her face. However, I have the exact opposite of that disorder, so I can use literally any detail to recognize her. "I'm actually here to talk to you. And I brought Lily, if you don't mind." She glances down at her daughter.

I raise both of my brows. I was ready - am ready - to reintroduce, of course, but I wasn't expecting Ms. Sloan to come here to pointedly talk to me. I thought maybe she'd want to discuss the whole trial thing with Lyma, but I guess that conversation already happened or was saved for later.

"Oh. Yeah, that's fine." I shake my head to myself to rid of the question in my voice before stepping aside. "Come on in."

Sloan smiles before coming inside, and Lily immediately releases her mother's hand before running over to me. She wraps her arms around my right leg like her life depends on it, cheek pressed against it as well. I stumble a little from shock, but regain my balance and shut the door.

"Lily," Ms. Sloan says. "Don't hang onto Anna. She's still healing, remember?"

Lily just gives her mother this uneasy side eye and faces away, still not letting me go. Apparently she's still not comfortable around her own mom. I don't mean to be harsh, but I'm glad Lily at least found someone to be herself around. Even if I'm not the best candidate, I do suppose she can relate to someone like me. And that is the most comforting thing there is: a friend who understands you. It'll take time for Lily to warm up to Sloan, but she'll come around. Just like I did.

I smile up at Aiden's mother. "It's alright. I'm fine, really. Let's sit on the couch." I gesture to the piece of furniture.

Sloan looks at her daughter with this saddened expression, as if she's pained to see Lily so unresponsive to her. And it's completely understandable.

She nods. "Sure."

She turns around and heads toward the small futon. I ruffle Lily's head. "Hey, warrior," I greet. "Wanna watch some TV while your mom and I talk?"