I never thought the man my mother loved—the man she let into our family—would turn out to be the one who stole my last moments with her. My stepfather tried to push me out of her life completely, but what he didn’t know was that Mom had been secretly planning something he could never erase. Mom and I had always been inseparable. From the time I could walk, it was the two of us against the world. She used to pack little picnics, and when it rained, we’d spread a

I was 42, and I’d spent years saving every spare penny for IVF—my last chance to be a mom.But the day I checked my account, my stomach dropped.The balance was zero. My sister had drained it dry… to pay for her third “dream wedding.” I’d never been the “special” one. Not the prettiest. Not the most talented. I wasn’t the type people stopped to stare at.I was the type who worked hard, saved quietly, and kept telling herself, “Later. I’ll do the things I want later.” But “later” had come

My name is Catherine, but most people call me Cathy. I’m 38 years old and very pregnant—39 weeks, to be exact. That baby could come any day now. And last week, at my husband’s birthday dinner, something happened that I’ll never forget. Something that changed everything. I walked out of that dinner, holding my daughter’s hand, and I haven’t looked at my husband the same way since. That night still echoes in my head. And I know the rest of the family won’t forget it either. Let me start from