"But you do. You do understand the gravity of your daughter’s actions."

"Yes." She paused and got up to take a closer look at the fireplace. On the mantelpiece was a picture of Annabelle, taking it, she exhaled softly "Is that her? Is she your daughter?". When the Senator nodded, Guinevere put the photo back where she had found it. "As you can guess, I’ve been raised in a Christian family. God has always been the main protagonist of my life." She looked back at the Senator "But, after all those years, I keep asking myself ‘why aren’t I happy?’"

The Senator looked at her cautiously wondering what her point was.

"And I found out I never had a life of my own. I myself went to Saint Teresa when I was younger. My husband chose me over my sister, and so I got to marry him and my sister to run the school. But it’s not what I wanted. It has never been. When my sister told me about Simone and a girl she shared her dorm with, that they were ‘together’, I was furious. I banished her instantly from my prayers and my thoughts. But never from my heart. Receiving news that she had misbehaved in the eyes of God again made me wonder simply why. I questioned myself for days. But I came with a simple response." She sat back on the easy chair "She is more of a person than I’ve ever got to be and ever will be. She lives her life according to her heart, as God asked us to do so. So why would I be mad at someone respecting God’s will? Yes, the underage thing is inappropriate, but your daughter is eighteen now. So, don’t misunderstand me, I understand the political drama, but I can’t resign myself to think they’re doing something wrong. If I had been so lucky to find love, I wouldn’t have let it fly away."

Hillary looked at the woman, dismantled. And this time, she wasn’t even able to hide it. This woman, right there, was her daughter’s girlfriend’s mother and she was a pious woman. But there she was, stating flatly that love should not be blamed as it was God’s will to witness love upon every person’s heart. <If I had been so lucky to find love, I wouldn’t have let it fly away.>. Hillary had found love. She had lost it foolishly, wanting to step in the lion’s cage. Seventeen years ago, he had walked in on her in bed with a famous politician that had promised her to get her career running. She despised the man, she was in love with her husband, but her avid need of power had completely overwhelmed her. And so she ruined his life, her own, and her daughter’s. It suddenly hit her that she had never hated the man, she had hated herself.