“Mama, can we get the cookies with the rainbow sprinkles?” Lily skips beside me as we enter the supermarket, her small hand warm in mine.


    “We’ll see, sweetheart. We need to get the important stuff first.” I grab a cart, trying to shake off the lingering tension from yesterday’s encounter with Virginia. The way she looked at me, like she was nning something–it still makes my skin crawl.


    But today is about normal things. Groceries. Milk. Bread for the house since I can’t bring myself to eat my own baking at home anymore. Simple, everyday tasks that don’t involve confronting ghosts from my past.


    “Can I push the cart?” Lily bounces on her toes, already reaching for the handle.


    “Alright, but be careful. And stay close to me.”


    She nods solemnly, taking her job as cart–pusher very seriously. We make our way through the produce section, Lily announcing each item she recognizes like she’s conducting a tour.


    “Bananas! Apples! Oh, those are the oranges you put in my lunch box!”


    Her joy is infectious. For the first time in days, I feel the knot in my chest loosening. This is what matters. Not Virginia’s threats, not the past I can’t change. Just me and Lily, building our life together one grocery trip at a time.


    “Mama, I need to use the bathroom,” Lily whispers, tugging on my jacket.


    I nce around, spotting the restroom sign at the far end of the store. “Okay, but we need to bring the cart-<b>” </b>


    “I can go by myself! I’m a big girl now.” She puffs out her chest proudly. “Please? It’s just right


    there.”


    I hesitate. The restrooms are visible from here, and there are plenty of people around. She’s been asking for more independencetely, and maybe I have been too protective.


    “Fine, but you go straight there and straight back. Don’t talk to anyone, and if anything feels wrong, you scream as loud as you can. Okay?”


    “Okay!” She’s already running toward the back of the store, her little legs carrying her quickly through the aisles.


    I watch until she disappears around the corner, then continue shopping, keeping one eye on the restroom area. Milk, eggs, pasta–normal things for a normal life. The kind of life I never


    <Chapter 18


    thought I’d have when I was married to Jasper.


    (ir’s POV)


    More Rewards >


    “James, do we really need three boxes of cereal?” I ask, watching my husband load our cart with enough food to feed a small army.


    “Virginia’s been eating moretely. I think the stress of settling into the family is making her hungry,” he says, though he looks pleased about it. “It’s good to see herfortable enough to ask for what she wants.”


    I nod, but something twists in my stomach. Four years, and I still feel guilty every time we talk about taking care of Virginia. Not because she doesn’t deserve it–she absolutely does. But because somewhere out there, Scarlett is taking care of herself, and we have no idea if she’s okay.


    “ir? What’s wrong?” James touches my arm gently.


    “Nothing. Just thinking.”


    We turn into the snack aisle when I hear it–a small, scared voice calling out.


    “Excuse me? I can’t find my mama.”


    I look down to see a little girl, maybe four years old, with dark hair braided neatly and wearing a pink jacket over a denim skirt. Her bottom lip trembles, but she’s trying so hard to be brave. <fn1a80> Discover more novels at Find[?]ovel</fn1a80>


    My heart melts instantly. “Oh, sweetheart, are you lost?”


    She nods, big brown eyes filling with tears she’s fighting not to let fall. “I went to the bathroom, but now I can’t remember which way I came from.”


    James kneels down to her level, his voice gentle. “What’s your name, little one?”


    “Lily.” She wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “My mama told me to go straight there and straight back, but everything looks different now.”


    “Well, Lily, we’re going <i>to </i>help <i>you </i>find your mama, okay?” I crouch beside James, immediately charmed by this brave little girl. “The store has a special ce where lost children wait for their parents. Would you like us to take you there?”


    “Yes, please.” She slips her tiny hand into mine without hesitation, trusting uspletely.


    As we walk toward the customer service desk, something about her tugs at my heart. The way she tilts her head when she listens. How she bites her bottom lip when she’s thinking. Even the cadence of her voice–it’s all so familiar.


    :


    < Chapter 18


    “Mrs. ir?” Lily looks up at me with curious eyes. “Can I ask you something?”


    “Of course, sweetheart. And you can just call me ir.”


    “Do you


    have any


    kids?<b>” </b>


    More Rewards >


    The question hits me like a physical blow. “I… I had a daughter once. She’s all grown up now.”


    “Where is she?”


    James and I exchange a look. How do you exin to a four–year–old that your daughter ran away because you broke her heart?


    “She lives far away,” I say finally.


    “Do you miss her?”


    My throat closes up. “Every day.”


    Lily stops walking and looks up at me with the kind of wisdom that sometimeses from children who’ve had to grow up too fast. “Maybe she misses you too.”


    We pass the candy aisle, and Lily’s steps slow. She stares longingly at the colorful packages, but doesn’t ask for anything.


    “Would you like some candy while we wait for your mama?” I ask.


    Her face lights up. “Really? Mama says candy is for special asions.”


    “Well, meeting us is pretty special, don’t you think?”


    She giggles and picks out a small bag of lollipops. As I pay for it, I can’t help thinking about Scarlett at this age. She had the same sweet tooth, the same polite way of asking for treats. The same gap–toothed smile.


    God, I miss her.


    At the customer service desk, I exin the situation to the clerk, who immediately makes an announcement over the inte about a lost child. Lily sits on a small bench, swinging her legs and sharing her lollipops with us.


    “Here, Grandpa, try the red one. It tastes like strawberries.” She hands him a lollipop with sticky fingers.


    “Grandpa?” He looks startled.


    “You remind me of the grandpas in my storybooks. Nice and safe.” She turns to me. “And


    < Chapter 18


    you’re like the grandmas who give hugs and make everything better.”


    More Rewards <b>> </b>


    My eyes fill with tears. This sweet, trusting child is calling us grandparents, and all I can think about is how we’ll never hear our own granddaughter call us that. If Scarlett even had the baby.


    “Thank you for helping me,” Lily says seriously. “Mama says always thank people who are kind to you.”


    She stands up on the bench and gives James a kiss on his cheek, then turns and does the same to me. Her little arms wrap around my neck, and she smells like strawberry shampoo


    and innocence.


    “I hope you find your daughter,” she whispers in my ear. “And I hope shees home soon.”


    I have to bite my lip to keep from sobbing right there in the middle of the store.


    “We should go,” James says gently, his own voice thick with emotion. “Her mother will be here soon.”


    “Bye, Lily. It was wonderful meeting you.” I squeeze her small hand onest time.


    “Bye, Grandma. Bye, Grandpa.”


    We make it halfway to the parking lot before I break downpletely. The tearse in great, heaving sobs that I can’t control.


    :


    < Chapter 19