CeCe listened quietly while Athena continued talking excitedly beside her, but the smile on her face had already faded away long ago. The cheerful woman did not even seem to notice the change. She kept touching CeCe's hair lovingly, fixing her clothes and speaking about random things while looking relieved that CeCe was finally healthy again.
But CeCe's mind was no longer there.
"Your mother was truly beautiful," Athena said dreamily while folding her arms. "Very arrogant too. Ah, that woman used to look at everybody like they were trash beneath her shoes."
CeCe raised a brow. "That sounded more like an insult than compliment."
Athena gasped dramatically. "No! I meant beautiful-trash kind of arrogant."
CeCe almost laughed despite herself. Because deep inside, something felt uncomfortable.
The more Athena talked, the more curious CeCe became. Her real mother suddenly stopped feeling like some distant mysterious person. She started feeling real and important.
