She introduced herself to the doctor but not to Elise, her eyes skimming over Elise’s name tag as she pulled out a pen. Without reading a single word, she signed every form placed before her. “We’ll handle everything at home,” she said briskly, her tone final, dismissive.
Olivia looked smaller beside her—shoulders drawn and her head lowered. Every time her mother spoke, she nodded automatically, like a child being corrected. Elise couldn’t tell if it was obedience or defeat. The older mother’s calm was polished and felt rehearsed, like someone performing motherhood rather than feeling it.