Hardened Resolve

Hayley

"My mother's diary? Did she tell you where it is?" I asked with wide and curious eyes.

John nodded affirmatively, a happy smile playing at the corner of his lips. "In the basement, in one of the boxes we had packed for cremation. We decided not to go ahead with it, hoping one day that we'd be able to reach you."

A mix of emotions swirled within me—relief, anticipation, and a lingering sadness. I felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps the diary would provide answers, or at least some semblance of the connection I longed for with my mother. Maybe reading it would help me understand why she was so angry at the time of death. I wanted to know why she despised her own daughter so much.

"We need to get it," I said resolutely as I wiped away the tears that gathered in my eyes. This was no time to cry, there were more pressing matters to attend to.