I was never the loud one. Teachers called me “promising,” but at home, money was tight. Dad left when I was seven, and since then, it was just Mom, Grandma, and me—scraping by with love and secondhand everything.

So when prom came around, I didn’t ask for a dress. But Grandma, ever the optimist, took me “treasure hunting” at the thrift store. That’s where I found it: a midnight blue gown for $12. At home, while Grandma was hemming it, I noticed a hand-stitched patch. Inside was a hidden note. “Ellie, I sent you this dress for prom… I’m your birth mom. I gave you up when you were five, but I’ve thought of you every day. If you want to meet me, here’s my address.” Ellie never got the note. But I did. And Grandma said, “Then we’re going to find her.” No luck at the store—the dress had sat there for two years. I wore it to prom anyway, feeling like a dream.