“They did.”
Later, Kate received a video call from Grandma Ruth, Emma’s great-grandmother. The second Ruth saw Emma’s face, she knew something was wrong.
She asked what happened.
Emma looked down at first, but then she told the story. She explained that she had shown up with gifts, that nobody made room, that her handmade ornament with Grandma Ruth’s name painted in gold was never even accepted.
Ruth listened carefully.
Then she asked the question that changed everything.
“And you walked home?”
Emma nodded.
Ruth’s expression hardened.
She told Emma that she had done nothing wrong. She had been polite. She had brought gifts. She had shown up because she loved her family.
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