Candles surrounded the picture like some kind of shrine.
I stared in disbelief.
This wasn’t storage.
This was obsession.
Behind me, little Emily smiled innocently.
“Daddy brings flowers down here every week.”
A chill ran through my entire body.
I stepped further inside slowly.
There were dozens of notebooks stacked neatly beside the bed.
One lay open.
My hands trembled as I picked it up.
At first, I thought it was a journal.
Then I realized what I was reading.
Schedules.
Detailed notes.
About me.
January 12:
She smiled at the girls today. Rebecca would’ve liked that.
February 3:
Grace called her “Mom” by accident. She cried afterward in the bathroom where she thought nobody heard her.
March 18:
Maybe she’s finally ready.
I stopped breathing.
Ready for what?
The girls stood quietly behind me watching my face.
