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Lily was twelve when her world turned upside down. She woke up on an ordinary winter morning, expecting to see her mom in the kitchen making breakfast or hear her dad humming in the hallway. But as she wandered from room to room, a strange silence greeted her. She called for her parents, but no one answered. Confused, Lily eventually walked into the kitchen and saw a piece of paper on the table. The familiar handwriting was unmistakable—her mother's elegant, looping script. The words blurred as she read: "Lily, we're sorry. We can't stay. We know you'll be okay." A chill ran down her spine, and she read it over again, hoping she'd misunderstood. But the note was painfully clear. They were gone. Questions flooded her mind: why had they left, and how could they abandon her? The loneliness and confusion settled around her like a fog, and that night, Lily lay in bed, feeling as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces