“They’re beautiful,” she said.
Then she looked at me with complete seriousness.
“When I grow up, I’ll pay you back.”
I told her that wasn’t necessary, but she refused to change her mind.
“My mom says promises matter,” she replied.
Before I could ask anything else, she gave me a quick hug and ran down the sidewalk.
I stood there for a moment, watching her disappear into the crowd, feeling something unexpected—something lighter than the weight I usually carried.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
It was a photograph of Sophie standing beside a hospital bed, holding the hand of a woman connected to medical equipment.
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