“Nicole is your daughter.”

She shook her head against the pillow. “Please,” she said. “Keep her away from me.”

Those were the last clear words she spoke. By sunrise, she was gone.

Chapter 5 — The Chapel

Grief made everything mechanical. I called hospice, signed forms, chose flowers, answered relatives, and stared at Nicole’s flight details without telling her what Mom had asked.

I couldn’t make sense of it myself. The funeral chapel smelled like lilies and furniture polish.

Nicole arrived in black, crying so hard she could barely breathe, and wrapped both arms around me.