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The Missing Gift

Emily sat quietly on the edge of her small bed, her hands clenched in her lap. The colorful paper she had spent hours decorating was gone. Inside it had been her gift for her father—a handmade scrapbook filled with drawings, memories, and little notes that said things like “I love you, Daddy” and “You’re my hero.”

She had hidden it carefully in the living room cabinet, waiting for the perfect moment to surprise him.

But now
 it was gone.

Downstairs, her stepmother, Vanessa, sipped her coffee with a cold expression, flipping through her phone as if nothing had happened.

“Did you touch my things again?” Vanessa snapped when she noticed Emily standing nearby.

“I—I was just looking for something
” Emily whispered, her voice trembling.

Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Whatever trash you made, I threw it out. The house isn’t a daycare for your silly crafts.”

May you like

Those words hit harder than anything.

Emily didn’t cry—not out loud. She just nodded slowly and walked away, carrying a heartbreak too heavy for a child.

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