She had already endured suffering for far too long and lost her best friend. She did not want to lose her mother too.
Even if her mother had once abandoned her.
She could forgive her.
Because the Cloth Doll she had always clutched so tightly, refusing to throw it away, was the last and only shred of hope left in her heart.
She thought again of the dream she had had more than once.
A warm fireplace, soft candlelight, a father whose face she could not make out, her mother and Older Brother—a happy little family of four. It was the best dream she had had since shutting her mind away.
She raised her head and clumsily reached out with her scarred little hand to wipe away her mother's tears.
"Here."
She offered her mother the patched and mended Cloth Doll in her arms.
Over a year ago, her mother had placed this Cloth Doll into her hands herself. Perhaps they would never meet again, perhaps she would never have another chance to atone or make amends in her lifetime. But who could have imagined that, a year later, her daughter would still be carrying the doll she had given her and appear at her side once more?
Her mother kept wiping her tears and shaking her head.
She had cried so much that day already. The joy of their long-awaited reunion, panic, guilt, and heartache kept churning in her chest.
"It's yours. Mommy gave it to you. You don't need to give it back to me."
She dressed her daughter in pretty clothes.
Just as she had before, she dressed her up like a beautiful little princess and talked to her at length. From the afternoon until the sun went down, the girl nestled obediently in her mother's arms,