Mia is telling me a story. It's about a princess, who lives in a castle, on a street that bears a remarkable resemblance to ours. About a kind old lady who's the queen. I'm distracted for a moment by her little hand softly slipping into mine. My daughter. My angel.
But then she says something that pulls me from my reverie. She says that the queen doesn't treat the princess well. She punishes her and doesn't let her eat anything...
Helen, my neighbour, has been so good to me. And more importantly, she's so good with the children. Surely this is just another story of Mia's, just make believe.
Because if it's not, maybe my dad was right all along: I was never good enough to be a mother, and I've let my precious children down in the worst way possible.
A heartbreaking and uplifting story about the choices a mother makes for the sake of her children, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Emma Robinson and Kate Hewitt.