Because no matter how loved she was, Alexa still kept a small shoebox under her bed — filled with crayon drawings of her mother.
Pictures of a woman holding hands with a smiling little girl.
A house by the sea.
A family that never existed.
Every birthday, Alexa would take that box out, trace her tiny handprints on the paper, and whisper, “Maybe next year.”
Family games
The Day Everything Fell Apart
When Alexa was twenty-five, Grandma Rose fell ill.
It started with forgetfulness — burned pies, lost keys — but soon, the woman who had held Alexa’s entire world together began to fade away.
Alexa quit her job to care for her full-time. She read to her, brushed her silver hair, and played her favorite old love songs.
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