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“No way.”
“Yeah, exactly,” I said with a tired laugh. “You should’ve seen their faces.”
I kissed her forehead.
“I’m proud of you, too. And your sandwich today? It was perfect.”
“You didn’t forget to eat?”
“Not this time.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist.
In that moment, all the chaos, the pain, and the exhaustion faded.
I was home. I was safe. And for the first time in a long while, I felt seen.
The next morning, I packed my own lunch, but I tucked her napkin back into the bag.
Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word, one person who chooses to stand up when others stay silent, and one small heart drawn on a napkin.
Alice watched me from the kitchen door and said, “Don’t forget to eat, Mommy.”
I smiled and winked at her. “I won’t.”
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