“I Bought My Daughter the Cake She’d Dreamed About for Weeks — and That Was the Last Normal Moment”

right. When Lena first saw the sample photo, her eyes went wide and she’d whispered, “Mom, that’s perfect,” in the same reverent tone other kids reserve for ponies or PlayStations.

I’d ordered it special. Paid extra for the hand-piped constellations. Made sure they understood that the frosting had to be that exact shade of midnight blue, not navy, not continue reading …