MY SISTER GAVE UP HER ADOPTED DAUGHTER AFTER HAVING A BIO SON — IF ONLY I KNEW THAT SHE WOULD ANSWER FOR THIS IMMEDIATELY.
We hadn’t seen Erin in months. After she had a baby boy, we gathered to celebrate. I was excited to meet him—and to see my goddaughter, Lily.
But Lily wasn’t there.
“Where’s Lily?” I asked.
Erin shrugged. “Oh. I gave her back.”
My stomach dropped. “You—what?”
“I wanted a boy. Now I have one. Why would I need a daughter?”
“She’s a child, not a return item!” I snapped.
“She was just a foster kid,” Erin scoffed.
A sudden knock at the door made her pale.
I opened it. A stern woman in a blazer stood beside a uniformed officer.
“Erin Matthews?”
Erin swallowed. “Yes?”
“I’m Karen Holloway from Child Protective Services. We need to talk.”
The officer stepped forward. “You abandoned your foster daughter. Is that true?”
“I returned her. I had every right,” Erin said.
Karen’s expression hardened. “You signed intent to adopt. This isn’t a lease you cancel.”
I turned to Karen. “Where is Lily?”
“She’s in emergency care, devastated. She keeps asking for her mom.”
Tears burned my eyes. “Can I see her?”
Karen studied me. “You’re her godmother?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
The next day, I met Lily. She curled up on a couch, clutching a stuffed bunny.
“Auntie?” she whispered.
I hugged her tightly. “I love you so much.”
I looked at Karen. “Can I foster her?”
She smiled. “We’ll start the process.”
Weeks passed. Erin faced legal consequences. I didn’t care. My focus was Lily.
Every night, she’d ask, “You won’t leave me, right?”
And every night, I promised, “Never.”
