The child who filled her modest apartment with laughter, drawings taped to the refrigerator, and songs that lingered in the air long after they were sung.
Just three nights earlier, Lily had whispered from under her blankets, her voice trembling, “Grandma… is it true I won’t live with you anymore?”
Her eyes had filled with tears she tried so hard to hold back.
“Did I do something wrong?”
That memory shattered Evelyn every time it resurfaced, breaking her heart all over again, as she had held her granddaughter tightly, breathing in the soft scent of her shampoo, trying to memorize everything about her, terrified it could all be taken away.
“No, sweetheart,” she had whispered, even as her soul protested the injustice. “You did nothing wrong.”
Across the courtroom, Lauren sat in the front row, scrolling through her phone with detached indifference, her polished nails catching the light as if she were somewhere else entirely.
At thirty-two, she embodied success—designer clothes, flawless makeup, a carefully curated image that hid the chaos beneath.
She claimed to be a marketing manager, but her life seemed to revolve around appearances, luxury, and social events more than responsibility.