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Lily with one heel in her hand.
Nora glowing, half-ready, half-chaotic.
And something inside me cracked open.
“My God,” I whispered. “I really did it.”
Lily softened first. “Mama…”
Nora stepped closer. “Yes, Mama. You did.”
Graduation was perfect.
Their names.
Their smiles.
The way my hands wouldn’t stop smoothing my dress like I needed to hold onto something real.
That night, Lily kissed my cheek. “You know we’re not moving to another country, right?”
“Don’t test me,” I said. “I could still guilt you into staying within city limits.”
For illustrative purposes only
The next morning—
A knock.
I opened the door, expecting something ordinary.
Instead, everything changed.
A gray-haired man. Navy suit. A thick folder.
“Erica?”
“Yes?”
“My name is Matthew. I’m here on behalf of Sam.”
The name alone was enough to make my chest tighten.
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“He left something for you. He asked me to deliver it on this exact day.”
Cold.
Everything inside me went cold.
“I think you have the wrong house.”
“I don’t.”
I started to close the door.
Then he said—
“So you really don’t know what he did for you and those girls?”
My hand froze.
“Open the folder first.”
So I did.
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And my world tilted.
Trust documents.
Bank records.
College funds.
Mortgage payments.
Medical bills.
And then—
A legal memo.
One name.
Gia.
“Mom?” Lily’s voice.
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