My stepmother tried to kick me out while I was pregnant with twins, but my dad had one final surprise that changed everything.
I’m Emily. I’m 24, and right now, I feel like life’s taken a baseball bat to my ribs and just keeps swinging.
It’s not like things were always perfect. I was never one of those girls with a fairytale life, but I got by. I was working part-time at a local bookstore, trying to finish my college degree, and living in a modest little apartment with Ethan.
He wasn’t just my boyfriend; he was also my best friend — the kind of guy who held my hand when I was scared and laughed like sunshine on rainy days. He worked as a mechanic, with oil-stained fingers and the softest heart. Then one night, he simply didn’t come home.
The knock at the door changed everything.
