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She Saw Something in the Mirror. Hours Later, I Found Someone Wearing My Dress

On a suffocatingly hot afternoon, I offered my daughter a bottle of water, expecting the usual playful chatter. Instead, she whispered that a woman in the mirror told her not to go home. I laughed it off, nervously, trying to steer the moment back to normal. “You’ve got such an imagination,” I said. But then her lip trembled. “She said you wouldn’t believe me. She said you’re not Mommy anymore. That you’re just wearing her.” My stomach dropped. My hand reached for the keys, my pulse hammering as I turned to start the car, and that’s when I saw…

It was one of those days where the heat hums in your ears.

97 degrees. The air inside the car was thick, heavy with sweat and sun. I cracked the windows. Dropped the music down low.

“Want some water, Liv?” I asked.

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