The reunion with Sophie was ecstatic. Back at the Miller mansion, Emily was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the space. Sophie led her to a guest room. “This is yours!”
A warm bath revealed a pale, thin child beneath the grime. Dressed in Sophie’s clean clothes, Emily looked like a different person. Over the next few days, a routine formed. Emily was polite, helpful to a fault, and fiercely intelligent. She devoured books from Sophie’s library and continued tutoring Sophie in math.
David observed it all. He saw how Emily blossomed with regular meals and sleep. He saw how Sophie matured, learning empathy and sharing. He heard laughter in the house—a sound that had been scarce since Claire died.
One evening, David overheard Sophie and Emily in the living room.
“Do you like living here?” Sophie asked.
“I love it,” Emily whispered. “But good things don’t last.”
“They can,” Sophie insisted. “I’m going to ask Daddy if you can stay forever.”
David retreated to his study, looking at Claire’s photo. “You’d love her,” he murmured. He made a call to Michael Hernandez, an old friend and family law attorney.
“Michael, I need to start an adoption process. Her name is Emily.”
The legal process was complex. Michael located Emily’s birth certificate and found a surviving relative: a maternal grandmother named Margaret Jenkins.
David’s heart sank. If a relative existed, they had priority. He drove to Margaret’s small home in a neighboring town to break the news.
Margaret was a kind, elderly woman living on a small pension. When David told her about her daughter Rebecca’s death and Emily’s existence, she wept. She explained that Rebecca had run away years ago after an argument.
“I have a granddaughter,” Margaret marveled. “Does she look like Rebecca?”
“Exactly like her,” David said. He took a breath. “Mrs. Jenkins, I intend to adopt Emily. But the law requires I inform you.”
Margaret looked at the photos of Emily that David had brought. “I am old, Mr. Miller. I am sick. I cannot raise a child. But… can I meet her? Can I be her grandmother?”
“Absolutely,” David promised…
