I rang the doorbell, heart steady but mind racing. A small girl with chestnut hair and wide eyes answered, her face oddly familiar.<\/p>\n
“Is your mom home?” I asked.<\/p>\n
“She’s baking cookies,” the girl replied. “Do you want one?”<\/p>\n
Behind me, Belinda arrived, and the girl rushed to her. “Aunt Belinda! I missed you!”<\/p>\n
A woman appeared at the door\u2014Nina. Her gaze flicked from Belinda to me. “You shouldn\u2019t be here,” she hissed.<\/p>\n
“I think we have things to discuss,” I replied, recalling how she\u2019d taken my granddaughter.<\/p>\n
Nina’s face hardened. “I protected Belinda and raised her when you didn\u2019t.”<\/p>\n
Before the argument could escalate, Scooter\u2019s voice broke through, followed by Nina\u2019s order for Daisy to play outside.<\/p>\n
“Let\u2019s get this over with,” Nina muttered as we entered, just as Harold\u2019s smooth voice followed, making Nina collapse in shock.<\/p>\n
Hours later at the hospital, we waited for Nina\u2019s surgery news. When the doctor confirmed she\u2019d made it through but needed a blood transfusion, I volunteered my own.<\/p>\n
Nina stirred. “Who\u2019s Scooter?”<\/p>\n
“Greg’s son,” I said, explaining Belinda couldn\u2019t have children and Daisy was caught in the middle.<\/p>\n
Nina, holding on to Daisy, whispered, “I can\u2019t lose her.”<\/p>\n
Greg and the rest of the family arrived, but a nurse eventually kicked everyone out. Harold stayed behind, offering Nina support, and after some hesitation, she agreed to stay with him and fix things with Belinda.<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, the house was full of life\u2014Nina moved in with Harold, and Daisy had settled into her new roles with both Nina and Belinda. The evening was light, laughter echoing, but just as dinner settled, a knock at the door sent everyone into silence.<\/p>\n
Patrick, my ex, stood grinning with a bouquet, announcing he\u2019d “found me.” His energy and interruptions left us all bewildered.<\/p>\n
“Who was that?” Greg asked.<\/p>\n
Harold eyed him, “Should I throw him out?”<\/p>\n
Scooter, notebook in hand, murmured, “This feels like the start of another mystery.”<\/p>\n
And I rubbed my temples. He wasn\u2019t wrong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"