Erin rolled her eyes and dismissed me. “Relax, Angela. She wasn’t mine anyway. It’s not like I g.ave up my kid. She was just… temporary.”
The word “temporary” hit me like a slap to the face. Temporary? As if Lily had been nothing more than a placeholder until Erin got her “real” child.
“Temporary?” I shouted, unable to contain my fury. “That little girl called you ‘Mommy’ for two years!”
“Well, she can call someone else that now,” Erin said dismissively.
How could she say such a thing? How could she toss Lily aside so easily? My mind raced through all the moments I’d witnessed Erin being a loving mother to Lily. She’d read her bedtime stories, brushed her hair, and proudly introduced her to anyone who would listen as her daughter.
“What changed?” I demanded, my heart breaking. “You fought for her. You went through mountains of paperwork, and you cried when the adoption was finalized.”
“That was before,” Erin shrugged. “Things are different now.”
“Different how?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Because now you have your ‘real’ child? What message does that send to Lily?”
Erin sighed in exasperation. “Look, Angela, you’re blowing this out of proportion. I loved Lily, okay? But now that my biological son is here, I can’t divide my love anymore. He needs all my attention. Lily will find another home.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. Lily wasn’t just Erin’s daughter; she was mine too, in a way. I was her godmother. I had been there for her, holding her when she cried, rocking her to sleep, feeling her little hands grasp mine as she learned to trust and love.
“You held her in your arms, called her your daughter, let her call you Mom, and then tossed her aside the moment you got your ‘real’ kid?” I said, my voice breaking.
Erin scoffed, bouncing Noah in her arms as he began to fuss. “She was a foster kid first. She knew this could happen.”
My hands were shaking. “Erin, she is FOUR YEARS OLD. You were her world. You were all she knew.”