“Emily hasn’t been in class all week,” her teacher said, her voice clipped with concern. I froze. That made no sense. I had watched my daughter leave the house every morning for school. Every. Single. Morning. Something wasn’t right. My heart thumped in my chest. I needed answers. So… I followed her. When she stepped off the bus that afternoon, I saw her do something that made my chest tighten: instead of walking toward the school doors, she got into a pickup truck parked across the street. My stomach dropped

I always believed it had been just the two of us against the world. My mother and me. That’s what she always said. But after she died, her will — and a hidden letter — proved that our story was never that simple. I loved my mother deeply. Her name was Margaret. She was strong, organized, and always in control. But there was one thing missing from my life. I never had a father. Every year when Father’s Day came around at school, I felt different. Other kids made cards