Ellen’s POV

I never knew what it was like to have a mother. The nuns who ran the orphanage where I grew up, with their harsh words and cold hands, were nothing like the nurturing figure I longed for. I survived by taking life one day at a time, piecing together scraps of resilience.

Even my fondest childhood memories couldn’t fill the void left by the absence of a mother’s love. I’d always acted like it didn’t matter, like I was fine on my own, but deep down, I’d have given ...