Leona stood frozen, her heart racing with a dangerous hope.
For just a moment, she imagined walking over to her daughters and her sister.
She thought of approaching them openly, without walls, without masks.
She imagined smiling at them. Laughing with them. Complimenting them.
Hugging them tightly, the way she had always wanted to.
Kissing their foreheads and telling them how much she loved them.
It would be the test, wouldn't it?
The true test of whether the repercussions were still existent.
If she could show them her true self and nothing terrible happened, then maybe, just maybe the shackles that bound her were gone.
She took a step forward.
But immediately stopped.
A violent shiver racked her body and her face went pale, all color draining away as if she had seen a ghost.
