Sophia regarded Elizabeth’s expectant face in silence before finally letting slip two words, low and deliberate.

"It’s fake."

Elizabeth’s expression froze. For a moment, something almost inscrutable flickered in her eyes as she stared at Sophia.

"Then… after the surgery, will it… will it be hard for me to have children?" Her voice trembled, delicate and brittle, and her entire demeanor seemed like that of a small, wounded ...