I felt an unreasonable pang of hope.
***
The school felt wrong without my daughter.
The hallway was quiet and empty, except for Ms. Holloway and the school counselor, Mr. Bennett, who stood near the lockers. Both of them looked as if they had been crying. My footsteps sounded too loud against the tile floor.
When I reached them, Ms. Holloway stepped forward and handed me an envelope.
My hands shook as I took it. Two words were written across the front in Lily’s handwriting.
“FOR MOMMY.”
The school felt wrong without my daughter.
I opened it slowly, my hands trembling, afraid of what I’d find.
Inside was a single note.
“I kept one promise a secret from you… But I did it because I love you.”
Below it was an address to a small storage unit not far from our apartment.
I looked up, confused and barely able to breathe.
“I don’t understand…”
Ms. Holloway practically whispered as she handed me a key and said, “Lily asked me to keep this safe. She said you would understand when you saw what was inside.”
I nodded, but I didn’t understand anything.
Inside was a single note.
***
The storage facility sat between a laundromat and a closed hardware store. I’d passed it dozens of times without ever noticing it. My hands shook again as I unlocked the unit.
The door rattled as I lifted it.
At first, I thought it was empty. Then my eyes adjusted, and I saw boxes lined neatly against the back wall as I stepped inside.
Every single one had my name written across the front.
My knees nearly gave out.
I reached for the first box. I hesitated for a second before I opened it.
