I pressed my hand against my belly, tears streaming down my face.
“We’re staying,” I whispered. “We’re home.”
Sheriff Daniels rested a steady hand on my shoulder, giving me time to breathe.
Later that day, my phone lit up with Derek’s name.
I watched it ring.
Then I let it go to voicemail.
For the first time in months, silence felt like peace.
That evening, I sat on my porch steps, the letter in my lap, the deed beside me, watching the sun dip behind the trees.
Across the yard, Mrs. Harper’s porch sat still and quiet.
Her crossword puzzle still on the table.
Her glass of tea untouched.
She had spent a lifetime saving that money.
And in one afternoon, she gave it all away—
to someone who had simply stopped to help.
I placed my hand on my belly and smiled through my tears.
“I know your name,” I whispered.
And somehow…
it felt like she already knew it too.
