Montgomery Manor, master bedroom entrance.


    M leaned against the wall, one hand gently covering her eyes, and after a long, deep sigh, she entered the room.


    The door clicked shut behind her.


    She approached the bed and gazed at the woman lying there, curled up, her brow furrowed, her sleep disturbed and restless.


    After a moment, M crouched down, resting her head on the bedside, slipping one hand under the covers to gently hold the woman''s hand. Though nestled in the warmth of the nkets, the woman''s palm was mmy with a cool sweat, her hand cold to the touch.


    M squeezed it tightly, using her other hand to softly smooth away the lines from the woman''s furrowed brow.


    In the next instant, the woman on the bed, as if sensing something, grasped M''s hand in return, shifting her body closer, and her brow rxed immediately.


    Feeling the unconscious closeness from the woman, M''s nose tingled, her eyes grew warm, and her emotions swirled into aplex mix.


    After a while, a soft, sigh-like voice broke the silence in the room.


    "What is it that you like about me?"


    This question had always puzzled M.


    Unlike the rest of the Montgomery family, her mother-inw, Felicity, had been nothing but kind to her from the moment she stepped into the family- extraordinarily kind.


    But it was different from any kindness she had ever known.


    Her great-aunt''s kindness, though loving, was stern, filled with guidance and the hope for her to seed.


    Felicity''s kindness was different.


    Her mother-inw''s affection was gentle, all-epassing, and asking nothing in return, as if caring for and loving M was the most natural thing in the world.


    It mirrored the image of the mother M had imagined in her childhood fantasies,


    a mother who woulde to rescue her from the long nights of punishment and beatings.


    Gentle, forgiving, and loving.


    "What is it that you like about me?"


    She sighed, repeating the question in bewilderment.


    She could neverprehend why her biological parents, who had brought her


    into this world, were so eager to exploit every ounce of her existence.


    Yet her mother-inw, whom she had only met once before the wedding, cherished her so dearly.


    Why?


    Her confused murmurs echoed in the room, and the woman on the bed seemed slightly disturbed, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal eyes still clouded with sleep.


    Realizing she had almost roused her, M softened her movements, coaxing her to drift back to sleep.


    Felicity, recently subdued and muddled by medication,y in a semi-conscious state, her body weary, but she sensed the familiarfort in the presence beside her.


    In her drowsiness, she murmured, "M?"


    "Yes, I''m here," M replied gently.


    Felicity called her name a few more times, and each time, M responded with patience and tenderness until her breathing steadied once more.


    After a quiet pause, Felicity, still enveloped in the haze of slumber, instinctively asked again.


    "M, do you not want to see me?"


    M paused, her grip on Felicity''s hand tightening slightly. She shook her head instinctively, then realized Felicity couldn''t see her gesture in her half-sleeping state, so she spoke aloud, "No, I do. I really do."


    Felicity, her eyes half-closed, allowed a small smile to y on her lips. "I do too."


    M smiled back, "Yes, I know."


    Watching Felicity settle back into peaceful sleep, a thought suddenly surfaced within M—a question that might never find the right moment again.


    She leaned in, whispering softly into Felicity''s ear, "Mom, why do you care about me so much?"


    Felicity shifted slightly, not responding immediately.


    Just as M thought she had fallen into deep sleep, a voice, soft and drowsy, gently filled the room.