The warmth of the embrace slowly melted the icy barrier that had guarded the grand mansion for over a decade[cite: 3]. Eleanor stroked the young girl's hair, her fingers tracing the delicate fabric of the blue dress while the reality of her daughter Sarah's absence weighed heavily on her soul[cite: 3].
Eleanor: Where is your mother now, Mia[cite: 3]? Why didn't she ever come back to tell me[cite: 3]?
Mia: She passed away last month[cite: 3]. That's why we had to move near the old neighborhood... we didn't have enough money for rent or food[cite: 3].
A sharp gasp caught in Eleanor's throat, the devastating news shattering whatever remained of her defensive armor[cite: 3].
Eleanor: Gone[cite: 3]? No... my Sarah is gone[cite: 3]? And I never got to tell her I was sorry[cite: 3]?
Mia: She kept this locket in her memory box[cite: 3]. She said her mother gave it to her before everything went wrong between them[cite: 3].
Eleanor: She was right[cite: 3]. I broke her heart, and then I let my own stubbornness break mine[cite: 3]. But you are here now, and I will never let you suffer the way she did[cite: 3].
Mia: Do you really mean that[cite: 3]? You aren't going to call the police or kick us out[cite: 3]?
Eleanor: Never[cite: 3]. This is your home now, just as it was your mother's[cite: 3]. Every trust fund, every room in this estate, and every ounce of my love belongs to you[cite: 3].