Chapter Text
Thank you to ryan, fireandfolds, kimmy turner, and J.Alex., my discord mutuals, for being beta readers
Parking her rundown car in Hextech Elementary’s parking lot, Sevika Medarda-Varma ignored the sputtering and coughs from the car’s engine as she switched it off and pushed the door open. Her mind raced with concern, exhaustion, and fury as she marched to the front door, already glimpsing Isha sitting in the principal’s office along with another child and two parents sitting next to them. She ignored the dirty glare from one of the school officers, Officer Marcus, as she went by him at the front entrance. The feeling was mutual, and she had a feeling he’d figure out a way to worm his way into what was about to transpire like he always did with everything.
Sevika had thought of calling Mel to see if she’d wanted to join her, but she refused to distract Mel from her dissertation presentation. She’d worked hard on her thesis, and like hell she was going to add any more stress to her wife for something they both knew Sevika could handle alone. The phone call she received from Principal Salo ten minutes ago stuck to her brain throughout her rush to the school, the words “fight”, “violence”, “bullying”, and “punishment” coming up the most. She barely remembered her response. She just recalled hanging up, telling Vander that she’d have to leave 30 minutes early, and speeding off from the welding shop, barely containing her rage enough to avoid a speeding ticket while driving down the interstate and across Rune Bridge to Piltover City.
Sevika already knew where this was going, but that didn’t make her any less pissed off.
Stepping into the principal’s office, Sevika ignored the four white faces that all turned to her, expressions ranging between disapproval, anger, and fear. She made a beeline for Isha, crouching down on one knee before the 9-year-old girl who sat by herself across from the other family, clutching her stuffed beetle toy (Greasy) to her chest in small, brown hands. Her expression had been hardened into a scowl until Sevika entered, softening a bit as her mother finally arrived. “Hey, Ish.” Sevika greeted her softly, placing her left flesh hand on the backboard of Isha’s chair.
She noted that Greasy was missing a horn, the right one looking as if it had been ripped in half. She noted that Isha’s 4a hair was ruffed up and been forcibly torn from their hair clips, and there was a band-aid on Isha’s right cheek and a few scratches across her face. The sight made her blood boil. “You okay?”
Isha looked at Sevika with her big, brown eyes and her lips curled into a frown before she tackled Sevika in a hug, sobs breaking from her throat. Sevika wrapped her arms around Isha, cooing reassurances. “It’s okay, sweet girl, I’m here now.”
“Mrs. Varma,” Principal Salo drawled unsympathetically, breaking the moment. “I’m glad to see you here. We have much to discuss.”
“Do we?” Sevika snapped as Isha pulled away from her, clutching Greasy and glaring at the boy who sat across from her, behind his parents. Sevika straightened to her feet, eyes narrowed on Salo. “I’m glad to see you’d finally like to actually do something about this problem.”
Principal Salo scowled. “I’ll have you know that we’ve warned you and Isha about violence in the school—” “Oh, I remember plenty of your platitudes. I also told you that none of it meant shit if you wouldn’t do anything about the kids bullying Isha.” The boy’s mother gasped at Sevika’s cussing.
“There are children in here,” Victoria Sawyer hissed.
Sevika turned to glare at the woman. Victoria Sawyer wasn’t anyone special or extraordinary by any means, even in Piltovan standards. Pale skin, a sharp face flanked by brunette hair styled in long hair that went down to the middle of her back. She wore a modest white blouse tucked into a long, brown, striped skirt with heels and a beaded necklace. Her husband, Hoskel Sawyer, stood beside her, arms crossed and chest puffed up to make himself look authoritative in a basic button-plaid shirt tucked neatly into dress pants, and dress shoes. Despite his demeanor, Sevika knew the man was full of shit. For the 20 years she’d unfortunately known Hoskel, Sevika knew he’d never gotten his hands dirty a day in his life.
“Fuck off,” Sevika snapped at her. “I’m sure your kid’s heard worse from you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Did I fucking stutter?” Sevika shouted, clenching her fists and glaring daggers at the parents before her, both taking her in with the same judgement and racial disgust that she’d grown up accustomed to her entire life in Piltover. “Why should I be surprised that the same kid calling my kid and her friends racial slurs and picking fights has parents who call the cops whenever they see too much melanin walking down the sidewalks in their neighborhood?”
“Mrs. Varma!” Principal Salo exclaimed. “That is an uncalled accusation—”
“How dare you!” Veronica spat, taking a few steps towards Sevika, outrage written across her face.“We are no such thing! And our boy hasn’t done any of that! We just don’t like our child being picked on by unruly children!”
“Don’t even try,” Sevika retorted. “You know how far this goes back. Stealing all of Isha’s lighter colored crayons, saying she can’t roleplay as certain characters because ‘she’s too dark’, saying she has ‘bad hair’, accusing her of stealing, saying she and the other dark skinned kids ‘disappear’ whenever the lights in a classroom are turned off. Sound familiar?”
Veronica scoffed. “Erwin and his friends were just teasing. You know how kids can be.”
“That’s not an excuse, and that’s not teasing. That’s called bullying. It’s racism. I know you’re not dense enough to recognize that all that so-called ‘teasing’ is about Isha’s skin.”
“So, what if they are? They’re jokes! And it's not racist to make observations!”
“Right, because ‘You’re too dark to be pretty’ is a real insightful ‘observation’.”
“Mrs. Varma!” Principal Salo shot to his feet, hands planted on his desk. “Enough! These accusations won’t stand! We’re here to discuss the matter at hand: Isha assaulting Erwin.”
“You mean defending herself from Erwin!” Sevika pointed at Greasy’s missing horn. “This isn’t the first time he’s tried to steal from Isha.”
“He just likes to play with it too.” Veronica countered.
“He didn’t even ask her.”
“You don’t know that.”
Sevika glanced back at Isha, who shook her head ferociously. Sevika turned back to Veronica, who now appeared even more frustrated.
“There’s nothing wrong with sharing!”
“Do you really think I’m that fucking stupid?” Sevika yelled.
“Language, Mrs. Varma,” Principal Salo warned.
“Your kid punched and bit Erwin.” Veronica’s husband, Hoskel, piped in. “No matter what our boy may have done, it doesn’t excuse violence.”
Sevika truly thought she was going to pop a fucking blood vessel.
“Good to know that calling kids’ skin ‘dirty’ isn’t a dealbreaker.” Sevika spat. She turned to Salo. “So, what’s the punishment, then? Two weeks suspension? Expulsion?” Sevika didn’t want Isha to see any punishment, especially not after weeks of torment and gaslighting. But she’d be damned if she and Mel weren’t going to fight back.
Principal Salo crossed his arms over his chest. “Isha’s punishment will be based on whether Mrs. and Mr. Sawyer would like to press charges or not.”
“Oh, we’re considering it.” Veronica declared, venom dripping from her tone.
“Are you serious?” Sevika yelled, inching towards the parents and towering over them. “If anything, we should press charges for all the bullshit your ‘precious angel’ has put Isha through!”
Veronica snorted. “You have no grounds for that.”
“Is that so?” Sevika hissed. “You really think I don’t know that Isha hasn’t been Erwin’s only target? I know some of those kids’ parents, too. They all have similar stories. I know a lot of them have personally complained to Principal Salient Fuckface over there-” Sevika pointed an accusing finger at Principal Salo—
Salo’s face reddened with fury. “My name is-”
“--only for them to be told over the phone or in an email that their kids would be suspended or expelled if the complaints kept coming.”
Salo’s words died in his throat.
“And they all happen to have a common source that leads to your Erwin.”
Veronica’s face darkened. “You can’t prove that.”
“Like hell I can’t,” Sevika barked out a harsh laugh. “You think it’d take so much effort to make a Facebook group of parents of color concerned about the racism at Janna Elementary? To gather parents who are pissed that they personally went to the principal about the racist bullying, only to be threatened with expulsion for their kids if they kept speaking up. You think local news outlets won’t want to leech on to that type of controversy?”
Just outside the office, Officer Marcus furrowed his brows with suspicion as he watched the ordeal unfold. He kept his eyes trained on Sevika. Sevika directed her eyes at Principal Salo, who had now gone silent. He looked caught between wanting to chew Sevika out and hiding under his desk.
“Why would they believe you?” Veronica questioned.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Sevika retorted. “There’s a pattern, and everyone here knows it. They may not believe me or my wife individually, but dozens of parents? Why wouldn’t that raise eyebrows?”
Veronica sputtered for a retort, but Sevika cut her off before she could get another word out. “You’re running for mayor, aren’t you?” Sevika watched with satisfaction as the woman’s face shifted to fear. “You think that kind of press will be beneficial for your campaign?”
“You’re blackmailing me?” Veronica accused.
“No, I’m telling you a fucking oracle.” Sevika assured, her grey eyes met Veronica’s blues with resolute conviction. “I don’t give a fuck who you are, because I don’t want or need to. I’ve met plenty of pieces of shit like you. You swarm this city. You own it. But you love to forget who the fuck runs it. You don’t discourage your kid from doing the shit he does because you’re ‘ignorant’, you do it because you think it’s good. It’s the natural order to you.” Sevika continued to close the distance between herself and Veronica and Hoskel, who both blanched. Principal Salo was saying something, but Sevika wasn’t listening. She was fixed on the parents before her. The faces of people she’d met her entire life. White, wealthy faces that thrived on Zaunite exploitation and were taken aback when the people they beat down stood up and swung back.
Officer Marcus inched closer to the office door, resting his hand on his gun holster as he watched Sevika advance on the Sawyer parents. Sevika studied their body language. They were both tense, bodies coiled and prepared for self-defense, for her to do something physical. To incite violence. And their eyes provided more clarity. Blue and brown irises brimmed with fear but also smug confirmation. They expected, no—wanted--Sevika to do something. Not just because they genuinely believed Zaunites were violent trash, but because they knew it’d be in their favor. It’d be her move and their checkmate. Here, the few Zaunites who lived on this side were always the pawns to Piltover’s kings and queens, no matter how many bishops and knights Zauns threw their way. The glass ceiling would always lower and thicken every time.
Sevika wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
“You’ve gone through this before.” She hissed. “Getting your way your entire lives. But that’s not happening this time. You press charges or don’t, I promise we’ll make sure everyone knows about the mayor’s precious son and his racist paper trail.”
“Enough, Mrs. Varma.” Principal Salo marched to the group, wedging himself between them and glowering at Sevika. “We do not tolerate violence in this school, whether between students, faculty, or parents. That includes threats.”
“Must be a new rule.” Sevika quipped as she took a few steps back, keeping her eyes on Veronica and Hoskel.
Salo turned to the Sawyers. “Would you like to press charges?”
“Everything alright in here?” the Officer Marcus stepped inside, hand still on his holster as he surveyed the room, though his eyes happened to conveniently and immediately fall on Sevika. Sevika didn’t flinch from the threat, though fear for Isha lodged in her chest. She didn’t want the girl to actually see any violence, especially not if it involved her mother or herself being hurt.
“Yes, Officer Marcus.” Principal Salo replied. “I’m afraid that-”
“No, everything’s fine.” Veronica cut him off, shocking both Salo and Hoskel.
“What?” the two men exclaimed with surprise, looking at her with mouths slightly agape.
Marcus frowned as Veronica continued, “I can see that my husband and I have been a bit too…lax on Erwin during his time here. And that he tends to be too rough with other kids, even when he doesn’t mean it.”
Veronica grabbed her clutch from a chair next to Erwin, who looked up at his mother, disappointment and confusion written on his face. “But Mom-”
“Not now, sweetie. Apologize to Isha and then we can discuss this further at home.”
“Mom, that’s not fair-”
“Erwin.” Whatever Erwin saw in his mother’s eyes made him immediately shut up. He stood up from his seat and faced Isha. “I-I’m sorry for trying to steal your stuffed animal.”
“And?” Veronica pressed.
“…And, for scratching and pushing you…” Sevika and the other adults looked down at Isha, who seemed to study Erwin for a few moments, brows crunched together thoughtfully. Jinx called it Isha’s “Indictment Face.” Isha shared a look with Sevika before shrugging. She signed, Okay.
Veronica frowned. “But do you forgive him?”
Isha signed, Nope. She then took Sevika’s hand. Veronica scoffed.
“You should be grateful he even got that much.” Sevika said.
Veronica opened her mouth for a retort but thought better of it, lips flattening into a thin, twitching line. “Let’s go, Erwin.” Veronica announced as she placed her clutch strap over her shoulder. Erwin didn’t even respond, immediately rushing past Officer Marcus and out of the room with embarrassment, his father right behind him.
Veronica didn’t keep her eyes off Sevika as she moved to the exit. “I suppose we’ll be seeing more of each other from now on, Mrs. Varma.”
“Unfortunately.” Sevika retorted.
She and Veronica held a stare down until Veronica followed her husband and son while exchanging a few words with Officer Marcus as he escorted her out.
“Mrs. Varma.” Principal Salo began, voice laced with disapproval. “While Isha’s behavior has improved in the past few months, a few teachers have voiced concerns about her ability to socialize with other students.”
“She socializes fine.” Sevika argued. “She just doesn’t get along with bullies. Who knew?”
“That’s not the point-” “It’s exactly the point. I’m not arguing any further because I knew this’ll go nowhere. You guys clearly have priorities over which students matter and which don’t.” Sevika ignored Principal Salo’s protests as she left the office, Isha right at her side with her backpack and Greasy clutched to her chest.
When they arrived to the car and Sevika opened the passenger door, Isha released Sevika’s hand to sign, That was awesome!
Sevika couldn’t help the smile that crept up on her lips. “Don’t tell your Mom, kid. Or at least not the details. Let me handle it, okay?”
Okay, Isha signed. Sevika crouched down to meet Isha at eye level. “Did he hurt you anywhere else?”
No. I hit him more than he hit me.
Sevika chuckled. “Atta girl. C’mon. Let’s go pick up your siblings. After dinner, we’ll go out for ice cream.”
Isha beamed and giddily jumped in the back seat, putting her seatbelt on herself. Sevika closed the door before jumping in the driver’s seat and turning her key into the ignition. As she backed out of the parking lot, she already formulated the beginnings of a plan for organizing with other parents about Hextech Elementary’s racism and classism. No doubt Mel would be on board to help and— Shit.
Mel.
“Why the hell didn’t you call me?” Mel demanded as she gently inspected Isha’s mild scratches and bruises in the kitchen. Isha kept her gaze fixed on her hands stitching Greasy’s “wound” closed. Sowunmi was the one who’d taught her how to sew, which Isha took advantage of to sew her own plushies.
“Or me!” Jinx shouted from the couch where she and Sowunmi were engaged in a heated 3rd round of Mario Kart. Sevika had filled Sowunmi and Jinx in on what happened. Neither of the 17-year-olds were surprised, though still infuriated on Isha’s behalf that their baby sister was still facing racist bullying. Sevika gave a rough overview of how she handled the situation in Principal Salo’s office, which Jinx and Sowunmi greatly approved of and confided in their pride for their mom. The duo comforted Isha the rest of the way home by playing charades.
“We don’t need you writing vulgar graffiti on Isha’s school again, Jijayasa.” Sevika said as she added some red chili spice to the pot of curry sauce she was cooking.
“Whatever. It helped.”
Sowunmi snorted, red dyed locs swaying as he shook his head with amusement. “Yeah, for like, five months.”
“Ahem.” Mel made a show of clearing her throat, staring at Sevika expectantly. “I’m waiting.”
“Did you really want me to interrupt your presentation?” Sevika retorted as she finished cooking tonight’s dinner. She stood at the stove with a “Kiss the Chef” apron wrapped around her waist, her sleeves rolled up to reveal arms thick with muscle and decorated in tattoos. “Mel, you’ve gone through too many sleepless nights for this thesis for me to call in the middle of your presentation to tell you about Isha getting bullied for the millionth time.”
Mel’s expression shifted to a disapproving frown. “The kids’ well-being has to come first.”
“I know.” Sevika turned the stove off and turned to face Mel as her wife rose to her feet. “But we both know that I could’ve handled it myself, which I did. I wanted you to be there, but I also wanted you to focus on your education. It wouldn’t have been fair when only one of us could easily afford to go.”
Mel’s shoulders deflated as she let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right. It would’ve reflected poorly to the judges on my part if I’d have to stop the presentation and just leave like that.”
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“What was the verdict?”
Mel blinked, as if she’d remembered everything that happened in her day before Sevika had called her. “Oh. Right…I passed.” Mel had barely gotten the word “passed” out before Sevika scooped her up in a hug and twirled her around. Mel gasped with delighted surprise and laughed before Sevika planted a loving kiss on her lips. When they broke apart, Sevika looked at her with pure adoration and pride in her eyes. “I fuckin’ knew you would.”
“Sevika.” Mel chastised, glancing at Isha, who clearly wasn’t fazed as she watched them curiously. Sevika rolled her eyes playfully and set Mel down before signing the news to Isha. Isha broke into a smile and rushed over to hug her mother’s leg. Mel laughed and scooped Isha up into a proper hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Wha?” Jinx turned to look at them, eyes taking in the scene. Sowunmi followed her gaze. “Wait, what happened?”
Jinx gasped. “Wait, Mom, did you pass?”
Mel grinned. “Maybe.”
“Hell yeah!” Jinx and Sowunmi quickly abandoned the game and joined to give a group hug. Mel felt her eyes sting with tears, unable to tamp down the surge of elation that poured through her from the love that surrounded her. Suddenly, a low growl rumbled from within the hug. Everyone pulled back in confusion before Sowunmi pointed at Isha, whose stomach growled again.
“I think Isha’s hungry.”
They all laughed. Mel set Isha on the floor, and the girl ran back to the kitchen to finish setting the table. “Chitranna, right?” Jinx asked Sevika, looking up at her expectantly.
“Yep.” Sevika took her apron off and wrapped it around the oven handle as everyone else took turns washing their hands before taking their seats.
Isha helped Sevika serve the food and soon everyone had their plates full of lemon rice topped with fried peanuts and cashews, joined by grilled chicken drenched in spicy masala sauce and garnished with roasted dry fruits. Though Sevika was used to the praise, she couldn’t help but feel her chest puff up with pride as her family complimented her culinary skills. It was something she’d developed over the years of building the family she made with her wife, as they both realized that surviving primarily takeout food may have been adequate for them but wasn’t going to cut it for growing children.
The table quickly shifted into everyone giving stories about their weeks and what they’d be doing over the weekend. Jinx and Sky were going to be running tests on their engineering club project at the community center, under Viktor’s, their science teacher, supervision. Ekko was going to take Sowunmi on a date to the skate park and teach them how to skateboard. Isha was going to have a sleepover at Ren’s house with a few other friends.
“So, is Isha actually going to get charges?” Sowunmi asked after taking a bite of chicken.
Sevika sighed. “Assuming that the Sawyers don’t want controversy following their mayoral campaign, I’m going no, for now.” Sevika sighed. “But I was thinking of organizing parents of color whose kids go to Hextech to hold the school accountable for its discrimination against Zaun kids. I’ve already texted the Youngs, the Morrisons, and Ximena to get their thoughts on it. Gauge the interest, you know?”
“I can have my mother connect me with an attorney.” Mel assured, resting her hand on top of Sevika’s. “Whether they charge or not, we won’t let them get away with hurting Isha.”
Jinx pounded a fist onto the table surface. “Now that’s the energy I like to see. And I can set paint ball traps at their front door.”
“No!” Sevika and Mel both shouted in unison.
Jinx pouted. “What about cutting their sprinklers?”
“Jinx.”
“Flattening one of their tires?”
“Wow, it’s like you want to go to jail.” Sowunmi cackled.
“Ding dong ditch?"
“It’s a no to all of it, Jijyasa.” Sevika asserted.
Jinx grumbled, poking her food with a fork. She then perked up. “Ooh. What about TP-ing their house?”
Sevika shrugged. “Maybe.”
Mel glared at her wife. “Sevika!”
“What? That’s the least violent option she gave.”
"Ding dong ditch is less violent than TP-ing." Jinx whined.
"Yeah, but you'd need to be on their property to do that, and that's where the legal shit comes in."
“C’mon, Mom, it has to be a memorable get back!”
“You are not TP-ing their house!” Mel proclaimed.
“What if it’s just their car?”
“Sevika!”
“I’m thinking about it!”
“Can I please have seconds?” Sowunmi held up his empty plate.
“Go ahead.” Sevika said. “Just remember that you and Jinx have to clean up since Isha and I cooked.” The teenagers groaned with defeat.
After Sowunmi helped Isha fix Greasy and him and Jinx cleaned up the table and dishes, the family set out to Janna Public Park. It was rather warm out for it being a September evening, so everyone went with less layers than usual. Sevika went with her black leather half-jacket over a red shirt tucked into dark brown cargo shorts and a pair of sneakers, Mel donned a dark orange off-the-shoulder top and a pair of brown jeans that Sevika found to fit snugly over her round figure, along with a pair of white sneakers that matched the white hair clips lodged in her updo bun.
It was mildly busy, with a few people playing frisbee or basketball on the courts, families having picnics, others going on evening jogs or strolls on their bikes. Street vendors lined up at the side of the park, selling snacks and ethnic dishes from a variety of cultures. Sevika took it all in with pride. Sure, there weren’t as many trees as Piltover’s parks did, and the basketball courts were cracked with lack of maintenance, and the bathrooms always stunk, but it was real. It was Zaun, through and through.
Coincidentally, the Morrisons were there too, so their family watched with amusement as Sowunmi swooned over Ekko’s awkward attempts at flirting with him. The families immediately went to Jericho’s ice cream stand, where Jinx got cotton candy ice cream, Sowunmi went with Reece’s peanut butter swirl, Ekko took mint chocolate, the Morrison parents shared a cheesecake scoop, and Isha selected her favorite of Oreo-Smores-Cookie-Dough Slam, with hot fudge on top. Mel and Sevika were relieved that Isha had only eaten a small portion of dinner back home, since Isha tended to get digestion problems whenever she had sweets right after full meals. Sevika and Mel shared a mango ice cream in a cup.
They all walked along a path that circled around the entire park, with the parents falling into easy conversation while the kids goofed off and vented about school and ridiculous celebrity drama they followed on social media. Isha just sat on top of Jinx’s shoulders, licking away happily at her ice cream monstrosity and people watching from the elevated height. The Morrisons were enthusiastically receptive to Sevika and Mel’s anti-racist organizing idea. They agreed to joining a group chat and spreading the word to other Zaunite parents whose kids were struggling with being ostracized at the school. The Morrisons had their own unpleasant encounters with the Sawyers and were eager to expose the bigotry hidden beneath their veil.
They all paused to watch some indie acoustic guitarist that was playing at the park’s stage that sat in its center. While the Morrisons excused themselves to the restroom, Sevika and Mel took their seats on a bench just to the side of the crowd gathered in front of the stage, far enough away to where they didn’t have to scream to hear each other but close enough to keep track of the kids. Mel leaned her head on Sevika’s shoulder, watching the kids absent-mindedly.
“Thank you for going to the school for Isha.” Mel muttered.
Sevika frowned. “You know you don’t have to thank me for that.”
“I know, but I want to anyway. Going back to school has felt a bit…jarring. But not in a bad way. More like…”
“A change in routine.”
Mel smiled gratefully. “Yes. It was different without the kids. Less stress, less worries, less having to think about more than one mouth to feed.”
“Less expensive.”
Mel chuckled. “Now that I don’t know about. It may more or less be the same.” The two shared a short laugh.
“I suppose…” Mel continued. “I suppose I was afraid of becoming neglectful. Like I wasn’t fulfilling my proper duties as a mother if I returned to my studies. Logically, I know that’s patriarchal bullshit, but emotionally…”
“Mel, for being the smartest person I know, you’re dumb for still thinking that we’d resent you for following your dreams.” Sevika wrapped her arm around Mel’s waist and tugged her wife closer. Mel laid a hand on Sevika’s chest and sighed contently, even as she let out a sniffle. The gesture made Sevika’s chest bloom with love.
“Are you proud that you passed the presentation?” Sevika questioned.
Mel furrowed her brows as she glanced up at Sevika. “Of course, I am.”
“Are you proud of the work you’ve done so far?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Sevika gently brushed Mel’s cheek with her thumb. “Because I’m proud of you, okay?” Sevika reassured. “We all are. I know your mom and Kino will be too. But at the end of the day, you did the shit you wanted to do. You’re fucking killing it, and you’re proud you’re killing it. That’s all that fuckin’ matters.”
Mel chuckled as she sniffed again. Sevika brushed the tears away from her cheeks. “You always know what to say.”
“It’s always easy when it’s you.” Sevika said. She planted a soft kiss on Mel’s temple before returning to watch the kids now moving with the audience, immersing themselves in the music. Sevika couldn’t stop the small, content smile spreading on her lips.
She couldn’t ask for a better life.