Chapter 102

• Nicole stepped up to the microphone, her eyes scanning the crowd of mourners gathered to pay their respects to her mother. She took a deep breath and began to speak, her voice calm and steady.
• "My mom was an incredible woman," she started, her words echoing through the silence. "She was a great wife, a great mom, and a great person. She had every opportunity to leave us, to start a new life after our dad left. But she chose to stay with us, to raise us on her own, and to give us the best life possible."
• Nicole's voice cracked slightly as she spoke, but she continued, her words pouring out from the heart.