My 5-Year-Old Daughter Stayed with My MIL for the Weekend — Then Told Me, ‘My Brother Lives at Grandma’s, but It’s a Secret’

After a quiet weekend at her grandma’s, my daughter said something that stopped my heart: “My brother lives at Grandma’s, but it’s a secret.” We only have one child. She doesn’t have a brother. So when she started saving toys “for him,” I knew I had to find out what my mother-in-law was hiding.

Evan and I’ve been married for eight years.

We have a five-year-old daughter named Sophie who talks nonstop, asks a million questions, and makes every day louder and brighter than it has any right to be.

We’re not perfect, but we’re solid.

Evan’s mom, Helen, lives about 40 minutes away in a quiet neighborhood where every house looks the same and everyone waves when you drive past.

She’s the kind of grandmother who saves every crayon drawing, bakes too many cookies, and keeps a box of toys in her closet “just in case.”

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