It might have been easier just to pretend nothing had changed. A favourite child was wrong anyway, they had never consciously acted towards Laura or Mary in a different way, and it just seemed better to act as if nothing had happened. Continuing with life seemed to shut away the pain and box out the harsh reality they didn't want to face.
It wasn't exactly ignorance, ignorance was not taking into account what had happened. No, this was simply forgetting, forgetting whatever had been planned before, whatever their life had been, and starting anew, knowing everything was different, but acting as if it wasn't.
Her faith was challenged, as she watched her life jolt into a different path, and wonder simply why. But there was nothing in reflection, only less answers and bitter pain. So there was only life to be gotten on with now, to make the most of and to revel in.
But watching her daughter silently at the close of evenings, it was harder to smile. It was harder to copy the carefree expression of her youngest's face, because she had come to see that good little girls weren't always shaded from the harshness of the world, no matter how good they had been.