Part of her already knew that, of course. The force in which he said he was not Tobias wasn't even necessary. It was how and why and the absolute pain of realizing she had somehow missed that many years of her son's life that caused her to question who he was, even ask if he was somehow Tobias - because that would almost have been preferable. That would have meant that things were not so different. An illness was something she could comprehend, handle. This was something else entirely. This was her son - her baby just barely seventeen, all grown up and from the looks of it, just about her own age.
He's dead and will never hurt you again. The words rang out in her head and for several long moments, she didn't speak. Us a louder portion of her brain thought. He can never hurt us again. Sinking back against the wall, she finally looked up and fully met the gaze of her adult son, wide eyes filled with tears. "I don't understand, how is this possible? You're - oh, Sev, I missed so much of your life. And - how can this be? Tobias... dead, you think I would have remembered that..." Was this some kind of long term amnesia? Had she cracked? "Did I - did I kill him?" She asked, her voice so quiet it was barely audible.