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On the back of the image, in shaky handwriting that he recognized as Emily’s, were the words: “Mama will always love you.” Beneath them, a phone number.
Despite his trembling hands and the late hour, Mark called the number.
A woman answered, soft-spoken and cautious. Mark introduced himself and explained what he had found. There was a long pause, and then the woman, Sarah, spoke words that stopped him cold: “I’ve been waiting for this call for years.”
Mark revealed that Emily had pa:ss:ed away, and Sarah responded with deep sorrow. Then she said something even more sh0cking—she had adopted Emily’s daughter, Lily.
Everything around Mark seemed to blur. “Her daughter?” he asked, struggling to comprehend.
