Chapter 12 - SOPHIE DOESN'T CALL EMILY MOM Sophie called me Daddy.
But she called Emily simply Emily.
It hurt my wife.
She never showed it.
One morning Sophie asked:
“Are you my real mom?”
Emily sat beside her.
“Caroline was your mom.”
Sophie frowned.
“And you?”
“My egg helped make you.”
“Like a chicken?”
Emily laughed through tears.
“Not exactly.”
Sophie thought about it.
“Are you also my mom?”
Emily took a breath.
“If someday that word feels right, I'd be honored.”
“But you don't have to call me that.”
Sophie nodded.
“Emily.”
“Emily is good.”
Healing wasn't dramatic.
There was no magical moment.
Sophie hid food under her pillow.
She hated closed doors.
She woke from nightmares.
She sometimes forgot where she was.
Therapy helped.
Routine helped more.
We put a snack basket in the kitchen.
She could take whatever she wanted.
Nobody asked her to prove she trusted us.
Nobody demanded gratitude.
May you like
And slowly, very slowly, she began leaving food on the table instead of hiding it.
That was progress.
Related Stories
