For years, Maggie thought she understood everything about her quiet suburban life—the kind neighbor who baked cookies, the loving parents who raised her, and the ordinary rhythm of home. But everything she believed shatters when her dying neighbor hands her a mysterious wooden box, unveiling a secret kept for decades.
I remember exactly how the warm morning sun felt against my skin as I watered my petunias, completely unaware that my life was about to change forever.
Looking back, I wonder if I should have seen the signs. But how could I? How could anyone have guessed?
Rebecca had been my neighbor for as long as I could remember. She was the sweet woman who baked cookies for every child in the neighborhood, the one who never missed a birthday and always had a kind word to share.
Even when I left for college and later returned to my childhood home with my own family, Rebecca remained a constant presence.