I stared at him, heart pounding. “What do you mean she never died?”

Aaron swallowed hard. “Daisy was born healthy. But Margaret was afraid you wouldn’t cope, so she took Daisy away after the birth. She told me to lie, to protect you from the pain she said you couldn’t bear.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Why? How could you all do this to me?”

“I hated the secret too,” Aaron whispered. “I’ve missed her every day. But Margaret said she would give her back when the time was right. I guess that time is now.”

Suddenly, the garage door creaked open—and there she was. My Daisy. Alive. Smiling, holding out a small hand.

I collapsed, overwhelmed. The pain, the lies, the years—they all hit me at once. But in that moment, hope flooded back.

Margaret knelt beside me, tears in her eyes. “I was wrong. I thought I was protecting you, but I was only breaking us.”

Now, we had a chance to heal—together.

Moral: Sometimes the hardest truths bring the deepest healing. Never give up hope, even when everything seems lost.