Emily’s necklace slipped out from under her uniform.
Victoria saw it.
And everything stopped.
The music. The laughter. The entire room.
Gone.
“That necklace…” Victoria’s voice trembled for the first time in decades. “That belonged to my daughter!”
The room froze.
Emily instinctively grabbed the pendant, trying to hide it again.
“Turn it over,” Victoria demanded.
Emily’s hands shook as she obeyed.
The engraving was still there.
“I & L Forever”
A gasp spread across the room.
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
“Where did you get that?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Tell me now. Who gave it to you?”
Emily swallowed hard, surrounded by cold, curious stares.
“I… I didn’t get it,” she whispered. “I was born with it.”
Silence.