The rage and resentment Shelly Sterling had accumulated for over twenty years vanished the moment she was reunited with her daughter.
No matter how deep the hatred, to a mother, nothing is more important than her child.
Once reunited with Aria Sterling, Shelly Sterling became incredibly gentle.
She spoke endlessly of the joy she'd felt after giving birth to Aria. "You were so tiny back then, only about this big, like a little kitten. So well-behaved, so adorable. You never cried or fussed, just lay in my arms. Looking at you reminded me of my own childhood. You looked so much like me..."
Shelly Sterling kept talking, and Aria Sterling listened quietly without interrupting. No one else disturbed them.
Not far off, the people inside the ward had gathered into their own small groups.
The people Caden Sterling had brought with him surrounded Adrian Rhodes, peppering him with questions about Aria Sterling.
