I remember the rain. Light at first, then heavier, drumming against the windshield. I remember the sound of my mother\u2019s laugh, my fingers tapping absently against the steering wheel as I told her about Nate, the boy who sat two seats ahead of me in chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rain on a car window | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember the way she glanced over, smirking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sounds like trouble, Maeve.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And I remember the headlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too close. Too fast.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The next thing I remember is screaming for my mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A shocked teenage girl in a car | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was outside the car. Somehow. I don\u2019t remember getting there. My knees were soaked in mud, my hands covered in blood that wasn\u2019t mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mom was lying on the pavement, her body twisted wrong, her eyes half-open, staring at nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I screamed her name until my throat burned. I tried to shake her awake, but she wouldn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\u2026 sirens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A police car on a road | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hands pulling me away. A voice saying something about a drunk driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another voice saying, \u201cThe mother was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I gasped, tried to tell them that it was me\u2026 but the words wouldn\u2019t come. The world spun, my stomach twisted, and then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blackness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A paramedic standing in the rain | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wake up in a hospital bed. A dull, aching fog fills my skull. There\u2019s a nurse. Machines beeping. The distant murmur of voices in the hallway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My throat is dry. My limbs feel wrong. The door opens, and I expect to see my mom. For a horrible, fleeting second, I think maybe it was all just a dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then my father steps in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenage girl in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He looks older than I remember. The last time I saw him was\u2026 Christmas? Two years ago? I can\u2019t remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sits beside the bed, hesitating before placing a rough, unfamiliar hand on mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, kid,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And just like that, I know this isn\u2019t a dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019s really gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenage girl in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wake up in a house that doesn\u2019t feel like mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia is in the kitchen, humming. The smell of something earthy and vaguely sweet clings to the air. I stare at the bowl she sets in front of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oatmeal, topped with flaxseeds and blueberries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI added some hemp hearts,\u201d she says, as if this is normal. \u201cHemp seeds are good for you, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As if my mother isn\u2019t dead and I haven\u2019t been dropped into this house with its bland beige walls and a baby I barely know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bowl of oatmeal on a table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pick up the spoon. Stare at it. Set it back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia watches, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot hungry, love?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am hungry<\/em>. Starving, even. But I don\u2019t want this. I want greasy diner waffles. I want to drive to Sam\u2019s Diner at midnight with my mom, splitting pancakes and laughing at the guy who always falls asleep in booth six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A woman sitting at a kitchen table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, I shake my head and push the bowl away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia hesitates then she slides a protein ball across the table. It\u2019s some homemade concoction of dates and oats. Her olive branch, I guess? I don\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaeve,\u201d she sighs. \u201cYour dad will be back soon. He went to get diapers for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stand up before she can finish. I don\u2019t want to hear more. I don\u2019t want to know more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bowl of protein balls | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stand in front of the mirror, surrounded by a pile of discarded clothes. The first dress is too formal. The second makes me look like a kid. The third is too tight, too wrong, too not me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you wear to watch the man who killed your mother sit on trial?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I grab a simple black blouse. It reminds me of the morning of her funeral. Like how I sat on my bed, surrounded by every black item I owned, trying them on, ripping them off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A pile of black clothing on a bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing felt right. Nothing could make me feel ready to bury her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember standing in front of the mirror that morning, staring at my reflection with swollen, puffy eyes. My hands shook as I buttoned a satin blouse I\u2019d never worn before. Mom would have told me that it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey\u2019d be too busy looking at that beautiful smile on your face,\u201d she\u2019d say. \u201cOr that gorgeous hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I wasn\u2019t dressing for them<\/em>. I was dressing for her<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenage girl standing in front of a mirror | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I do up the same buttons with fingers that tremble just as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want justice. I want Calloway to pay. But in the back of my mind, guilt whispers: I didn\u2019t see him in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I squeeze my eyes shut. I try to breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then I grab my blazer, straighten my shoulders, and walk out of the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice first. Guilt later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A black blazer | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n The courtroom is too cold, and the seat beneath me is stiff. The man sitting across from me, the one who killed my mother, stares down at his folded hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His suit is wrinkled. His jaw is unshaven. He doesn\u2019t look sorry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calloway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He had been drunk. He had already lost his license once. He shouldn\u2019t have been behind the wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exterior of a courthouse | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want him to look at me. I want him to see what he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawyer calls my name. My throat tightens as I step forward. The room tilts slightly as I sit. My pulse hammers in my ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan you tell us what happened that night, Maeve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should say I don\u2019t remember the impact. I should say that we were talking about stupid things\u2026 about boys and pizza and the rain, until the headlights came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lawyer standing in a courtroom | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, I swallow back the bile and inhale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were on our way home. Then he hit us,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wait for the next question. But it doesn\u2019t come from my lawyer. It comes from his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A woman with sharp eyes and an even sharper voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenager in a courtroom | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaeve, who was driving?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I go still. There\u2019s a pause. Too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour mother, correct?\u201d She tilts her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t say anything. I just nod. But something shifts inside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A memory.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The keys are in my hand. The feeling of the steering wheel under my fingers. The headlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An upset girl | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, my God. No. No, that\u2019s not right. Is it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The memory was coming back. The brain fog was lifting\u2026 suddenly, the true events were coming back to me. Everything had been hazy since I left the hospital. I was focusing on the loss of my mother, rather than the accident\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I glance at my father. His forehead creases. He shifts forward slightly, confusion flickering across his face. I want to run. I want to vanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d comes out of my mouth instead, so quietly that I\u2019m not sure anyone hears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A man sitting in a courtroom | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n That night, I\u2019m sitting in my room, staring at the ceiling. The air is thick, suffocating. But the memory won\u2019t leave me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I see it now. Clear as day.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mom smiling as she handed me the keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou dragged me out of the house to fetch you, Mae,\u201d she\u2019d said. \u201cSo, you drive, kiddo. I\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A woman standing next to a car | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n The warmth of the leather beneath my hands. Laughing together. The rain, getting heavier\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then, those headlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was driving. It was me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A cold, sick feeling twists inside me. I feel like I might throw up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenage girl sitting on her bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I find my father in the living room. He looks up from the couch, his eyes weary, a glass of something amber in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI need to tell you something,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He nods slowly. Waits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Maeve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sit across from him. The words stick thickly against my throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says nothing. He doesn\u2019t even blink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I swallow hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2026 she let me take the wheel. She was tired so because I asked her to fetch me, she gave me the keys\u2026 We were talking about\u2026 life, and then the rain started, and I didn\u2019t see him, Dad. I didn\u2019t see him until he was right there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My voice breaks. My breath comes in short, sharp gasps. I can\u2019t breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His glass clinks as he sets it down. I expect him to yell. To tell me it\u2019s my fault. Instead, he reaches for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I break.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A glass of whiskey on a table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sobs come fast, violent, shaking my whole body. I fold into him, the weight of it all crushing me. His arms tighten around me, and for the first time in years, I let him hold me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your fault, Maeve.\u201d His voice is rough, thick with something I\u2019ve never heard before. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to believe him. God, I really want to believe him.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGo to sleep, Maeve,\u201d my father says. \u201cJust sleep it off, and we\u2019ll talk about it tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A crying girl | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n We hear Julia in the kitchen. Probably making another batch of those protein balls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay\u2026 Dad,\u201d I mutter and walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stop at the top of the stairs. Below, the kitchen light spills into the hallway, a soft yellow glow against the dark. I hear voices, low and tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bowl of chopped dates | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n My father and Julia.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I step closer. I shouldn\u2019t listen. I know I shouldn\u2019t. But then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe told me, Jules,\u201d he says. \u201cShe was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stop breathing. A cold, sharp feeling spreads through me like ice in my veins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A girl standing on a staircase | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then the soft clink of a spoon against ceramic. Julia\u2019s kombucha, probably. She drinks it every night, swearing it does something for digestion. I don\u2019t know why I focus on that, except that it\u2019s easier than focusing on what my father just said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMara gave her the keys,\u201d he continues. His voice is rough, like he hasn\u2019t slept. \u201cMaeve had been out. Asked her mother to pick her up from a friend\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a long, heavy pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An upset teenager in a hallway | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf she hadn\u2019t asked\u2026 if Mara had just driven them home\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He doesn\u2019t finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My fingers curl around the banister. My nails dig into the wood. I\u2019ve had that thought a thousand times. If I hadn\u2019t called. If I hadn\u2019t needed a ride. If I hadn\u2019t gotten into that car\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia speaks carefully, as if she\u2019s gently choosing every word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A concerned woman in her pajamas | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou can\u2019t think like that, Thomas,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan\u2019t I?\u201d he counters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a bitter chuckle and the sound of a chair scraping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My father exhales, slow and heavy. Like something inside him is breaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI look at her, and I\u2026 Look, I love her, I do. But she\u2019s\u2026 a stranger to me, Julia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A man sitting at a kitchen table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n My breath catches. I\u2019ve already lost one parent. But something about hearing my father speak like this\u2026 makes me feel like I\u2019m about to lose another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSharing a birthday every other year? A Christmas? That\u2019s not a father\u2026 That\u2019s a\u2026\u201d his voice falters. \u201cI wasn\u2019t there for her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The words hit me like a fist to the ribs. I press my forehead against the wall. My chest aches. My father loves me. I know he does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But love doesn\u2019t erase distance. It doesn\u2019t make two people know each other. It doesn\u2019t fill the years of absence. And right now, I don\u2019t know if it ever will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A teenager leaning against a wall | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I still have the weekend before going back to the courthouse to hear the final verdict. But after overhearing my father and Julia the night before, I don\u2019t know how to exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m in bed when I hear Julia in the hallway. She\u2019s carrying Duncan, who\u2019s been screaming for someone to pick him up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMomma\u2019s here, sweet boy,\u201d she coos. \u201cDid you think I wasn\u2019t coming to get you? Momma will always get you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An upset little boy | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her voice trails off as the baby coos loudly, followed by a series of Julia\u2019s kisses on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I miss that. Knowing that my mother would be there for me at any moment. That she would be there to catch me every time I fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have a father who loves me but struggles to see me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to spend the weekend, but I know that I\u2019ll be staying in my room. Maybe go through the trunk of my mother\u2019s belongings. She was always putting her important things into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne day, when everything else is gone, Maeve,\u201d she\u2019d say. \u201cWe\u2019ll only have little things that tie us to great memories. You\u2019ll find most of them here, in this trunk. For me, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t want to read the letter. I don\u2019t even want to hold it. But when I found it in the green velvet box, I couldn\u2019t put it back. There\u2019s just something about touching my mother\u2019s things that makes me feel\u2026 alive<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A wooden trunk in a bedroom | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n The paper is soft with age, the edges curled from time. My mother\u2019s handwriting tilts slightly to the right, looping and delicate. It\u2019s so familiar that it hurts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should put it back. But my hands tremble as I unfold it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A girl reading a letter | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know why I\u2019m writing this. Maybe because you\u2019ll never read it. Maybe because I\u2019m tired. Or maybe because Maeve is asleep upstairs, and I just kissed her goodnight. And for the first time in a long time, I wondered if I made the right choice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She\u2019s brilliant, Thomas. Stubborn and messy and so, so alive. And I wonder\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you finally ready? Could you be her father the way she needs you to be?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know. I won\u2019t ask. But I do know this: she\u2019ll be sixteen soon. And she still has time. So much time. And maybe, if you try, she\u2019ll let you in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mara<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A piece of paper on a bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n My breath catches. Mom wrote it almost over a year ago. The ink is smudged in places like she hesitated to put down exactly what she felt\u2026 like she almost stopped<\/em> herself from writing it at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She thought about this. She wondered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I press my hand over my mouth, squeezing my eyes shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was supposed to know everything. She was supposed to be right about everything. But she wasn\u2019t. She had doubts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if she had doubts, then maybe I can, too. Maybe my father was ready to be there for me\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A girl laying on her bed | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I exhale, staring at the trunk in front of me. Her things. The pieces of her life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I let my gaze drift around the room. This room that doesn\u2019t feel like mine. The walls are blank. The shelves are empty. It\u2019s like I\u2019ve been waiting for an escape hatch to appear, waiting for the moment to decide that I don\u2019t belong here and mean it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what if I stopped waiting? What if I stayed?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I think about Duncan\u2019s tiny fingers wrapped around mine. I haven\u2019t allowed myself to be with him yet, but I\u2019d love to. I think about Julia standing in the kitchen with her healthy food and strange optimism. I think about my father, sitting on the porch night after night, carrying his own ghosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe there\u2019s still time\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n A happy baby boy | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calloway takes a plea deal. Less prison time, but a full admission of guilt. It doesn\u2019t feel like justice. It doesn\u2019t feel like anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But as I stand in front of my mother\u2019s portrait, I whisper the words I never got to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mom. I love you. I miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for the first time since the crash, I feel like she hears <\/em>me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A close up of a smiling woman | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julia doesn\u2019t say anything about the trial. But the next morning, there\u2019s a plate of waffles on the table. Real ones.<\/em> With syrup. And butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stare at them. Then at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She shrugs, sipping her green tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI caved,\u201d she says. \u201cDon\u2019t tell the other vegans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A plate of waffles | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something unexpected tugs at the corner of my mouth. A smile. Small, but real. Julia sees it. She doesn\u2019t say anything. She just smiles back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pick up my fork. Maybe, just maybe, this house could start to feel like home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou need to do something,\u201d Julia says, as if reading my mind. \u201cDo something that\u2019s going to make this house feel like home. Plant your mom\u2019s favorite flowers so that you can see them and think of her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d I say quietly. \u201cI like that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A flowerbed of carnations | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before I do anything else, I have to speak to my father. We need to clear the air if I\u2019m going to\u2026 heal<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I find my father outside, sitting on the porch steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The air is cool, carrying the faint scent of Julia\u2019s weird lavender candles. She lights them everyday, swearing they calm the energy of the house. I used to roll my eyes, but now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few weeks of being here and I don\u2019t mind it so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sit beside him. He glances over, surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid I disappoint you, Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lavender candles on a table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? Maeve! Never! I was just\u2026 shocked when you told me the truth. You had hidden it from everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t hide it, Dad,\u201d I say. \u201cNot at first. I genuinely didn\u2019t remember what happened. We were in the car, there were headlights, and then the next thing I remember was being on the ground with Mom. But the memories have been coming back\u2026 It was a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sighs deeply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A man sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know, baby,\u201d he says. \u201cI think I just wasn\u2019t prepared to be a father to you. Of course, I\u2019m your dad. But I\u2019ve been your father from the sidelines, never up close. And now, this? It caught me off guard. And I didn\u2019t know how to help you with the loss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m helping myself,\u201d I say weakly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know,\u201d he sighs. \u201cBut that\u2019s my job, Maeve. Mom would want me to help you. But I\u2019ve been doing a pretty lousy job of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stare ahead, my fingers twisting in my lap. The words feel heavy, like stones in my chest. But I say them anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to start over,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A girl sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I expect hesitation, skepticism. Instead, something in my father\u2019s face softens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been awful,\u201d I admit. The words sting on the way out, but I don\u2019t take them back. \u201cTo you. To Julia\u2026 But especially to Duncan. I haven\u2019t picked him up once. I haven\u2019t played with him. He\u2019s a baby, he doesn\u2019t deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My throat tightens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe deserves better. I\u2019ll be better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be perfect, Maeve,\u201d my father says. \u201cJust be here<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A dinosaur mural in a nursery | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n I blink fast, nodding before the tears can spill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to paint a mural in his room,\u201d I say. I don\u2019t know where the idea came from, but it feels right. \u201cSomething fun. Dinosaurs, maybe. And I\u2019m going to learn how to make vegan curry with Julia. I mean, I\u2019ll hate it, but still.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n My dad shakes his head, chuckling. And then, hesitantly, he pulls me into his arms. And this time, I let him. For the first time in a long time, I let myself believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe, just maybe\u2026 this life won\u2019t be so bad after all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A bowl of vegan curry and rice | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one for you |<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Maggie and her friends bid on a mysterious trunk at an estate auction, they expect old love letters and maybe a creepy doll, not a duffel bag full of cash and a wanted poster of a woman who looks exactly like her. As secrets unravel and danger looms, Maggie must face the truth: Who was her mother before she became her mother?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Rain](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/d17160ea34a71f5e897af7dac0644184f68a8a1dcf9fe7d943c92246d9643990.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/d817dc86479f7cfa833334ab79990f9917002516da033b6bb9a3fd267257ed6f.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/f2aa02de787bab5bd894bca67a358fd7399997d084030ed8aee5f27f26b11370.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/6a37d51a7523348656915443e27186004ad2b35aaaca3a0e77d1a2fbab0039bf.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/fcd406c6f53a9ed513fbf12b60205ec3c75fa3134aaeedfd9e348ac0a96aa7ae.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/02321206713ef4282d4dc65faa58c148f5cdff48704e0ec7951ca3d6070960b1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo weeks later<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/b9454c04665ba7e771ccd59a40cd162803d89b7581f716da626bdcbc70460eb8.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/9d1fedd9ef30a662775033bf2514d9edbb9417fc75106af3ef237fdee6e567dd.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/d104255fc11f8e00fd38633d272892ac63982e45ff9fd8f75dc6aa5ab7e190ff.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCourt<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/b59195f9386686748e8c111d35b940d3fa6c4e7a9d75a211259eb85854393cd3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/ff3c00928276af6e9eb1ec691bf9f513768eacdb3e98d19f3905136def35721a.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/f97a07fe5ef7ca48c9a8fa3a3b6e26142784c0063bce5d7e9c7cbf4d84d28ecd.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/8d3341c54a2d815829d9bb061ca2c733e74f867541a65f97b18a39c68f38ce6e.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/7620dc4dc89f634b8e1261c18ef99b51f9c05e9f2d86a6263c05faaef01ebac7.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/f38c301584383d0cc2991af676f9a73b9d4d6b6d4c5b6aafe74b12658c15fbb0.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/714f409cf641bbc06fff8a493972a6c48720eb4f325d1989af1a0055c55bf1b9.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/b598ca610ce45ad10e969523a49f0ae612884727b4d96755fefafdc2366b8e05.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Truth<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/1980a8e1793b4672ef69055b04424bd8a62f4113449b907a04fa93eb886b8510.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/bbdb92096233cde0319d0d48480caf66d521dc7740f8f92443adaee172e67406.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/8fb8bc452d3a65e0659ff4ccedd44a2f5e3f88a422af924e1deaf8570b26169d.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/68d1dd232b0ee85f52f5ec0f18e166adc7d8df437268a117282a2ccb738a5281.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/ba9fdde5f6bc4a20d65c733249aba58a5a0a669f6adcd05c67070044e28bb0d1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/0c65619787047a4625ae303d9f6920781aa32d490a2cefe1a4ba9f64448c7f05.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/82d3478cc33f7fdb3496a35b77674aaaf2319017dd346c8fa5d16964a91b7e5c.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/b9c5c30dc0f3fd4dc7236cf7cfb92d6a2241dee4fbdb72f7247bcfa1c1e3be46.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/1ab50df3c707747a0e793e4645f3cd37520483eb6ff07465b804fb28286d0a05.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/0a64c25231b730f0b475f126e19fde793e20830a33828f6c65b9c89380248a6a.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/8d4e3a7200d56b89554524f40690f51b474755bb85e447d30a183ab09a94c784.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Letter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/38da83006f534694b3f8cc890365c0880f2c59c9c4b3eb8b3d228a0672882f15.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/604b20facae6f8a2f2d4e3dde4804a79850684f137f0977f4c116b56edbe5e6f.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/1c0b3d60c1e72eb7d8a7c9fa318eb7d5ac5399750532be551302dde0df4c7845.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/f24f967d5980dd1616d491536a82a7b587465edc79014592c35be30ec4f73409.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/22627416c02a61c3cafeffefcff2cc36a5c6b4f845be2d27fa7c8df1ffa06d3c.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/00e3bd8460dd70d31d9e42cdb5c64aaceac09ee4fca36d430144a66cc5f820a5.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/bc4e837fc132d5f1962ffefa206071ada21dbb96efe8b4e04e4c91002b49c81b.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Verdict<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/c9e64318ffc0e7400cf947fa226257ffeb3be674866cf0b48bccc7d57f2060d0.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHealing, Slowly<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/2f2662dae63e83064c585852bd0c677f55f0ceef6de8045e30a5801ad19b3e39.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/b4d9fdeace0a54325a4deb328306f9c72d31d9ca76ed001a96287e61b55bba6f.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Lavender](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/3062e529d8d3dd9fa4fa875df009df3fb0c411f572d7d67f37b7cae9040846be.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/d507527bd2e5cf47dc8c20de9e8e216d77e8babfe4319ce812ac9804d3d21ebb.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/e0f9596af96bed11d454eae5488e664b7b58ce5092cd71c74d5340c122e82347.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/0c517ef3c285d4009191645ef1b3ebed9c222214773a1d069dfc56d15114df4d.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cdn.thecelebritist.com\/8ac5538f1fb7af88604f67d15b4608788a6cb76ba5906c672a8558f02b76e40f.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n