After my best friend passed away, I took in her son and raised him as my own, pouring into him all the love I’d gone without as a child. For twelve years, we were a complete family. Then one night, my wife shook me awake in a panic, saying she’d discovered something our son had been hiding. When I saw it, I stood there frozen, tears filling my eyes.

I sat there motionless, tears running down my face. Nora had known she was running out of time, even before the accident. She had carried that knowledge alone, just as she had carried so many other burdens in her life.

“Ollie,” Amelia said quietly, wiping her eyes. “If Leo hid this, he must be terrified of what it means. We need to talk to him before he wakes up believing we’ll love him less.”

We found Leo curled up in his bed. The moment he saw us standing in the doorway, his eyes locked onto the stuffed bunny in Amelia’s hands. All the color drained from his face.

“No,” he whispered as he sat up quickly. “Please… don’t.”

Amelia held the flash drive gently. “Sweetheart, we found this.”

Leo began to shake. “Please don’t be angry. Please don’t send me away. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

We rushed to his side at once.

“I found it two years ago,” Leo sobbed. “Fluffy had a small tear, and I felt something inside. I was too scared to watch the video at home, so I played it on a computer at the school library.”