We called Lily. She came straight over after work, still in scrubs, hair pulled back, face set like she expected bad news.
I slid the letter to her.
“Whatever you feel, whatever you decide, we’re with you,” I said.
She read in silence, jaw tight. She stayed calm until one tear hit the paper. When she finished, she sat very still.
“Yes,” I replied simply.
“And her parents did that.”
“Yes.”
“I spent so long thinking she dumped me because of my face,” Lily said.
“It wasn’t that simple.”
“No,” I said. “It rarely is.”
Then she looked up. “You and Thomas are my parents.
That doesn’t change.”
Relief hit so hard it made me dizzy. “We’re not losing you?”
She snorted. “I’m not trading you two for a stranger with cancer.
You’re stuck with me.”
Thomas put a hand to his chest. “So affectionate.”
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