Another long pause. Then Ellie handed me the phone. “She said sorry,” she murmured.
Later that night, Daniel sat beside me at the kitchen table, silent for a moment before finally speaking. “I talked to my mother a few days ago. I told her if she couldn’t treat Ellie like family, she was going to lose both of us.
I meant it.”
“Thank you,” I said, the words heavier than they sounded. Since then, Carol’s been different. She sends Ellie little cards in the mail, ones with kittens and stickers.
She’s called a few times, asked about school projects, and Ellie’s favorite snacks. She even baked Ellie a birthday cake, decorated with pink frosting flowers. I’m still cautious.
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