She brought them to her home. It was small but clean, filled with the scent of pine from candles she burned to mask the sterility she despised. She made them tea. She prepared sandwiches. She offered them her guest room.

By nightfall, the Kellers were asleep. Corinne sat at her kitchen table and stared at the teacups they had used. Something had shifted inside her. She felt as if fate had opened a door she did not know she had been waiting for.

The next morning, Corinne reached out to a lawyer she trusted. She learned that Augusta and Raymond’s children had tried to seize their house and land through deceit—forging signatures and intimidating them. Their heirs saw profit, not parents. Corinne’s hands shook with anger.

She promised Augusta and Raymond she would help them reclaim what was stolen. She began documenting everything, gathering statements, accompanying them to court, driving them to appointments. The Kellers’ youngest child, Delphine, who lived far away, returned as soon as she heard what had happened. She apologized through tears for not being there sooner.

“I never imagined Preston and Valerie would treat you like this,” Delphine whispered, her voice trembling. “I thought family meant something different.”

Corinne placed a hand on Delphine’s shoulder. “Family is proven by actions, not blood alone.”