"How did it go?" Eric had a hopeful look when he saw Natalie come out of the room. But when he saw the crestfallen look on her face, he knew that it hadn't gone well at all.
Natalie simply shook her head, and walked straight into his open arms, burying her face in his chest. "I failed her as a mother."
"It's not your fault. You thought that you were making the right decision by leaving her behind. Who knew that things would turn out this way?"
"She's going to hate me,"
"Give her time. You can't expect her to warm up to you anytime soon," He added, "And perhaps release the cuffs too?"
"No!" Natalie rejected that suggestion, pushing away from his body as if he had just been manipulating her with his touch and she didn't want to fall for it.
