Mom, don’t drink from that glass! The new dad PUT SOMETHING IN IT. Mary was in shock hearing these words from her daughter and decided to SWITCH the glasses. What she saw made her hair STAND ON END…..

But today it covered the city with a white blanket, as if giving a chance to start anew, from a clean slate. Mary thought about how amazingly life is arranged. With its turns and crossroads, lessons and trials.

About how close she came to the abyss edge, and how miraculously she was saved. Not by some external hero, but by her own child, their daughter with Alex, flesh of their flesh. Maternal love.

The strongest feeling in the world, Mary thought. But children’s love, children’s devotion. No less powerful.

This invisible bridge between two hearts that neither time, nor distance, nor even death can destroy. She didn’t know if she’d ever meet a man to share her life with. Maybe yes.

Maybe no. But now she knew for sure. She and Sophie would manage, whatever happens…

Because together they are. A real family, strong and unbreakable. And the rest will come.

Mary finished her tea, washed the cup, and went to her bedroom. Before sleep, she, as always, checked on her daughter. Sophie slept, arms spread wide, with a light smile on her lips.

Above her bed hung a drawing she recently made in art class, three figures holding hands. A woman, a girl, and a man with a halo over his head, floating above the ground. That’s us with you, Mom, Sophie explained then.

And that’s Dad, who’s always with us, even if we can’t see him. Mary adjusted the blanket, leaned down, and quietly kissed her daughter on the head. Thank you for saving me, she whispered.

I’ll always be with you too, no matter what. I promise. And with this thought, she returned to her room, lay in bed, and for the first time in a long while fell asleep without fear, with a sense of peace and confidence in tomorrow.