In their place stood a sign near the door:
“Coming Soon: Our First Real Baby.”
My stomach dropped.
The Truth
“Where’s Ivy?” I asked.
The room fell silent.
Chloe didn’t look at me.
“I sent her back,” she said calmly.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“You what?”
“She was adopted,” Chloe replied. “The agency took her.”
“She called you Mom,” I said.
“She’ll adjust,” Chloe answered. “This baby is different.”
“Different how?”
She placed a hand on her stomach.
“This one is mine. My real child.”
Something inside me broke.
“She was real too,” I said.
The Knock
Before I could say anything else—
There was a knock at the door.
Chloe opened it, annoyed.
Then froze.
A woman stood there with an ID badge.
“I’m from the adoption agency,” she said. “We need to discuss your case.”
What followed unraveled everything.
Chloe hadn’t returned Ivy properly.
She had left her with someone unauthorized.
It was illegal.
The word abandonment was spoken.
The room went silent.
The Decision
I didn’t wait.
I followed the woman outside.
“I want to adopt her,” I said.
She studied me.
“It won’t be easy.”
“I don’t care,” I replied.
Finding Ivy
Two days later, I found her.
Smaller. Quieter.
Lost.
“Aunt Ella?” she whispered.
I held her tightly.
“I’m here,” I said. “And I’m not leaving.”
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