Evelyn's POV
For a few moments after my mother stopped speaking, neither of us said anything.
The silence between us wasn't awkward anymore. It simply felt... finished. There was nothing left to explain because she had already decided who I was before I'd spoken a single word.
I rose slowly from the sofa.
"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."
She looked up at me, almost as though she had expected something else.
"You're leaving?"
"I think we've said everything we needed to."
A small crease appeared between her brows.
"I hope you'll think about what I said."
I smiled politely.
"I will."
It wasn't a lie.
I would think about it.
Not because I believed she was right.
But because I finally understood something I hadn't fully accepted until tonight.
Some people weren't waiting to understand you.
They were waiting for you to become the version of you they had already imagined.
And if you didn't...
Nothing you said would ever be enough.
