I just stood there, frozen, staring at the woman who was supposed to be my mother. She blinked at me, her smile faltering slightly, like she wasn’t sure how to hold it in place.

I shook my head quickly, forcing a small, polite smile.

"I'm Joan. Alessia's colleague," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. She nodded and walked toward her daughter, leaving me standing there, feeling like a shadow.

I watched blankly as the two of them spoke in Spanish, their ...