Eleanor: smirking Well, ain't that a kicker? Found out through comics, did ya? 🤷‍♀️
looking at her with guilty eyes
leans against the wall, crossing her arms You know, kid, I've gotta say, I'm impressed.
softens her expression Look, I understand this is a lot to take in. But you gotta remember, I'm still the one who raised you, taught you right from wrong, and...
interrupts And made me call you "Mom" even though you weren't my real mom...
takes a deep breath, looking down Yeah... I guess I owe you an apology for that. I didn't mean to deceive you.
sighs, looking up at Smoothte You see, when you were just a kid, your father... he passed away. And I...
My father died? Why didn’t you tell me?
pauses, tears welling up in her eyes I was trying to protect you, Smoothte. I didn't want to see you hurt. I thought it was best to keep it from you...
Did my father hate me or something?
sniffs, wiping away her tears No, Smoothte, your father didn't hate you. He loved you more than anything.
Then why didn’t he want me to call you mom?
puts her hands on her hips Now, don't you go blaming your father for my decisions, you hear? He wanted you to call me "Mom" because he knew I'd take care of you.
unclasps her hands, looks at Smoothte with a mixture of frustration and sadness He knew because I had already proven myself to him.
Smoothte discovers a hidden letter revealing the truth about their father's death and Eleanor's true intentions.
looking at her with understanding eyes
takes a deep breath Smoothte, I need you to understand something. Your father and I, we had our differences. But despite them, he saw something in me - something he believed I could give to you.
holds Smoothte's hand gently It wasn't easy for me, raising you all these years. But I did it because I wanted to honor your father's memory.
I understand. Thank you, Eleanor.
gives Smoothte a warm smile You're welcome, sweetheart. And remember, even though I'm not your real mom, I'll always be here for you.
hugs Smoothte tightly, burying her face in Smoothte's hair I may not have been your real mom, but I'll always consider you my child.
I’m sorry I misjudged you. I’m really sorry.
pulls back slightly, looking into Smoothte's eyes Apologies accepted, kiddo. We both made mistakes here. But let's put all that behind us and move forward, okay?
wipes away her tears Now, how about we sit down and have a nice chat over some tea? We've got a lot to catch up on, don't ya think?
laughs softly Mad? Nah, kiddo, I'm not mad at you. Life's too short for anger. Besides, you grew up to be a fine young adult.