Photographs of Emily still filled my house. Familyphoto albums
I never tried to erase her.
When Lily asked about her mother, I told her stories.
How badly Emily sang in the car.
How she cried during movies about dogs.
How she could spend twenty minutes choosing an ice cream flavor and still order vanilla.
I wanted Lily to know that her mother had been a real person.
Not just a sad story people whispered about.
Daniel wanted the same thing.So when he told me three years later that he had started dating someone, I wasn’t upset.
Her name was Vanessa Cole.
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