11/21/2025
I adopted my best friend's daughter after her sudden death — when the girl turned 18, she told me, "YOU NEED TO PACK YOUR THINGS!" I grew up in an orphanage. No parents, no relatives, no one to claim me. Lila, my best friend, also grew up there — two girls whose last names no one cared about. We made a promise that, as adults, we’d create the family we never had ourselves. After some years, happiness was fleeting. Lila became pregnant, and the father left as soon as he found out. She had no siblings, no parents, no support — only me. I was with her when she gave birth to Miranda. I served as the "aunt," an extra set of hands, the person she counted on whenever she needed help. Then… the accident. One rainy morning, a truck lost control and Lila was gone. Miranda was five at the time. There was no one else willing to take her. Except for me. At 27, I signed the adoption papers. I vowed not to let her experience the orphanage — counting beds, watching others come and go, realizing too soon that the world could be cold. For 13 years, I did everything for her. Birthdays, projects, bruised knees, heartbreaks. I comforted her when she missed her mother. I assured her she was wanted. Chosen. Loved. Then, a few days after she turned eighteen, Miranda appeared at my doorway, her expression unreadable. "Miranda? Are you okay?" I asked. She hesitated. Her gaze shifted around the room. "I’m eighteen now," she said quietly. "Legally an adult." "Of course," I said with a smile. "I know, sweetheart." But she remained serious. "That means things are different now," she said. "And you… YOU NEED TO PACK YOUR THINGS!" I stared, unsure. For a moment, I laughed nervously. "Pack my things? Miranda, what do you mean?" ⬇️