Love shouldn’t have conditions, but for my sister Erin, it did. After having a biological son, she gave up her adopted daughter, Lily, without a second thought. When I confronted her, she shrugged, saying, “She wasn’t really mine anyway.”

Erin’s cold indifference shattered me. I had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby, but when I visited, all signs of Lily were gone. When I asked where Lily was, Erin casually said, “I gave her back.” She claimed that now that she had Noah, she didn’t need Lily, as if she was just a temporary placeholder.

I was furious. Lily had been a part of our family for years, and Erin’s dismissal of her was heartless. But karma soon caught up with Erin when Child Protective Services arrived, questioning her parenting after reports about Lily’s sudden return.

While Erin faced her investigation, I began the fight to get Lily back. After months of paperwork, interviews, and home studies, I was finally approved to adopt her. When I saw Lily again, I promised her I would never leave her, and soon, she moved in with me.

Three months later, I officially adopted Lily. We created a loving, stable home together, and she finally called me “Mommy.” Erin, on the other hand, continued to be required to take parenting classes. I got everything I had dreamed of, and Lily was home, where she always belonged.

Sometimes, the family you fight for is more precious than the one you’re born into. And in the end, the universe has a way of making things right.