“Wait here. Just one sec.”„
And he walked into the house.
Liam ran to him, sobbing.„
We stayed where we were. Liam clung to my hand.
Claire stood near the doorway, arms crossed, as if she were daring someone to challenge her.
A minute passed. Then Daniel came back out.
He was holding something small, carefully in his hand: a wooden box. It was worn at the edges, with a dark stain, the kind you keep tucked away where no one else can find it.
Claire barely looked at it at first.
Then she did.
And everything about her changed.
It was worn at the edges.„
Claire’s face lost color. She froze, and her voice dropped to a whisper.
“No… wait…”
She took a step back.
“…No… you weren’t supposed to have that.”
Then she suddenly stepped forward, reaching for the box. Daniel lifted it just out of her reach.
“What is that?” Liam asked, his voice small and still shaking.
Daniel didn’t look at Claire. He looked at his son.
“It’s something that your mother-in-law (MIL) cares about immensely,” he said. “Just like you care about your bunnies.”
“What is that?”„
Claire’s eyes darted between them. “How did you find that?” She asked, her voice tight now.
“You didn’t do a good job keeping it hidden in the back of your closet,” Daniel said.
I moved closer before I could stop myself. Something about the way she was reacting… I needed to see.
Seeing my movement, Daniel opened the box.
Inside were letters, dozens of them. Photos too.
Claire looked younger in them. She was smiling in a way I had never seen in this house.
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