Chapter 10 - Five Years Later
Emma's tenth birthday was a stark contrast to the disaster two years prior.
It was filled with genuine laughter, surrounded by the people who truly loved us: Megan, Sarah, David, and real friends.
There was no drama, no Linda, just pure joy.
After the party, as we sat on the patio eating leftover cake, Emma brought up the past.
She asked about her real mother, Jessica.
I told her that she could meet her someday if she wanted, but it wouldn't change the fact that I was her mother forever.
Emma said she didn't want to meet her, that she was happy with just us.
She shared her birthday wish: that we could stay like this forever, no secrets, no lies, just us being happy.
I promised her that her wish had already come true.
Forever wasn't a place, it was a promise.
We were Team Carter, and we would face whatever came our way together.
As I tucked her into bed that night, I realized I wouldn't change any of the pain we had endured.
It had led us to this beautiful, honest life.
Linda thought she was destroying me, but she had actually set me free.
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I promised Emma, silently, that I would always choose her, always fight for her, because that's what real mothers do.
We were ready for whatever the future held.
