The night Laura disappeared, the garden glowed with Christmas lights. It was her wedding night, and she danced barefoot, radiant and joyful. I found her by the lemonade stand, laughing—but there was a flicker in her eyes, something I missed. By morning, she was gone. She hadn’t stayed in the hotel room. Her gown was untouched. No note, no phone calls. The police searched everywhere. Nothing. Her absence shattered our family. I moved into her room, boxed her things, and tried to move on. Ten years passed.
One rainy morning, while searching the attic, I found a letter—dated the night she vanished. It was from Laura. She had been pregnant. The baby wasn’t Luke’s. She couldn’t marry him with that secret. “I can’t live a life built on lies,” she wrote. She left an address in case I ever wanted to find her. I did. At a yellow house in Wisconsin, a little girl drew hearts with chalk. Then Laura appeared—older, but unmistakably her. We hugged, and the ache of ten years finally lifted.
She didn’t ask for forgiveness. She had chosen truth over comfort. Peace over pretending. When I returned, Mama asked if I’d found anything. “No,” I said. That night, I burned the letter—not to forget her, but to release her. My sister lives quietly now, surrounded by sunflowers and sidewalk hearts. And I’ve found peace, too.