Lauras peace shattered once more.
One morning, the door of her cosy cottage swung open violently, revealing a young woman on the doorstep. Tall, slender, with piercing eyes and a defiant glare. Laura recognised her instantlyit was Poppy, her younger niece, the one shed left behind in the childrens home all those years ago.
“Auntie,” she said sharply, arms folded across her chest. “Took me ages to find you. They said you lived here.”
Her voice was firm, unyielding, her gaze drilling into Laura like ice. Laura invited her inside, offering tea, but Poppy refused, choosing instead to stand stiffly in the middle of the room.
“Do you remember me?” she demanded, eyes flicking around the cottage. “Im Poppy. The girl you abandoned.”
Laura nodded silently, her heart clenching at the memories. Flashes of a small, unruly childdifficult, volatile, impossible to handleresurfaced in her mind.
“Why did you do it?” Poppy pressed, stepping closer, fists clenched. “I was your own flesh and blood!”
Laura spotted the tremor in her hands, the uncertainty beneath the steel in her voice.
“I had no choice,” Laura replied evenly. “I couldnt take care of you both. Emma needed me more.”
Poppys face twisted, betrayal etched into every line. “So you chose her over me? Just threw me away like rubbish?”
Her voice trembled, thick with emotion. Laura felt the weight of guilt press down on her. Years had passed, and now here they were, face to face with the consequences.
“I want money,” Poppy added coldly. “Compensation. For what you did.”
Lauras turmoil sharpened. This woman before her was strong, self-assuredyet beneath it all, the wounds of rejection festered.
“How much?” Laura whispered, fighting back tears.
Poppy named a sumfar beyond what Lauras modest savings could easily cover. Silence stretched between them as Laura weighed her choices.
“Fine,” Laura finally said. The guilt was real. And so was the fearwhat might this bitter young woman do to Emma?
The story had begun long ago, when Lauras younger sister fell in with a dangerous sorta whirlwind of drink, reckless nights, and consequences no one foresaw. Not even the sister herself, until she realised she was expecting a child. A girl, named Emma. When the baby arrived, it was as if the world paused for herbright-eyed, quick to laugh, endlessly curious. The family rallied around, but the situation was precarious. Emma often stayed with Laura, who taught her to read, to paint, took her to the park, filling her childhood with light. Emma became part of Lauras world, loved deeply, completely.
But fate had other plans. Five years later, the sister had another childan accident, a twist of misfortune. This girl was different from the start. Speech delayed, prone to tantrums, a storm in human form. They called her Poppy, a name that didnt suit her fiery temper. Where Emma was calm, Poppy was chaos. The strain grew. The parents spiralleddrink, shouting, complaints from neighbours. Eventually, they lost custody. The girls were taken.
Laura was offered a choice: take both, or neither. Her heart split in two. She wanted Emmaher Emmasafe, loved. But Poppy? A stranger, wild and unpredictable. How could she manage both?
In the end, she chose Emma. Selfish, perhaps. But necessary.
Poppy stayed in the home. Forgotten.
Emma thrived. They laughed, talked, built a new life.
And nowPoppy stood on her doorstep.
At first, there was joy. Then came the weightnew obligations, new demands. Poppy brought needs, expectations, a hunger for repayment. Laura had to balance supporting her with keeping her own life intact.
There were costsmoney, emotions, energy. Caring for a wounded adult drained resources. And then there were the boundaries, the disruption to her quiet world.
Lauras peace was gone again.
