The rain drizzled on my windshield, blurring my view of the house—my house. Or at least, it used to be. The place where I rocked Hazel to sleep and danced in the kitchen. Now, I was a stranger at the door.

Three years ago, cancer took more than my health—it took my daughter. Nathan promised it was temporary, but as I fought for my life, our connection faded. Letters stopped. Calls grew rare. Then came the legal papers. Nathan won full custody, convincing the courts Hazel needed stability.

But I healed. I fought my way back. And now, I was here.

Sara, the woman who had stepped into my place, opened the door. “Nathan took Hazel to the fair,” she said, smiling smugly. “She doesn’t ask about you. She calls me Mom now.”

My heart shattered, but I refused to give up. I raced to the fairgrounds and spotted Hazel near the carousel.

“Hazel!” I called, rushing toward her.

She stared, clinging to Nathan’s sleeve. A breeze brushed my scalp—I realized my wig was gone. Her lip trembled.

“You’re not my mom,” she whispered. “You’re just a bald lady.”

I collapsed at home that night, sobbing into Hazel’s old stuffed bear. When did she stop loving me? Desperate for a distraction, I scrolled through my laptop and saw it—her school art contest entry: a painting of a dark sky full of stars. It was our story, the one I used to tell her every night. She hadn’t forgotten. Not completely.

The next day, I went to the contest. The auditorium filled with memories—clips of Hazel and me baking, playing at the beach, letters I had written but she’d never received.

“Why didn’t I get these letters?” Hazel asked Sara.

“I didn’t want to upset you,” Sara stammered.

Hazel’s voice broke. “You hid them from me?”

Then, Hazel saw me. For a moment, we just looked at each other. Then—she ran into my arms.

“Mom, I thought you forgot about me.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face. “I never stopped loving you.”

The announcer called her name. “Winner: Hazel, for Following the Stars—inspired by bedtime stories shared with her mom.”

Hazel turned to me. “I painted the stars, Mom. Just like our story.”

“You found your way home,” I said, smiling.

Nathan approached. “I thought I was doing the right thing… but she just needed you.”

Hazel looked at him. “Can I go home with Mommy?”

Nathan hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, sweetheart. You can.”

I lifted her into my arms. A mother’s love is like the stars. Even when unseen, it never disappears.

That night, my little girl finally followed them home.