[Lilia]

Surprisingly, the word just came out normally, and it didn't sound at all like I was being coerced into saying it. Despite this, I can't shake the idea that the only reason he treats me this way is because he sees so much of my mother in me.

Nevertheless, I don't want to rush to conclusions about him. He’s grieving, too, at his daughter’s loss, and seeing me like a carbon copy of her is his kind of coping mechanism. He had lost so many years not seeing her, and now I am here, in ...