I thought my bond with my granddaughter, Nina, was unbreakable — until one day, she looked at me and said, “You’re not my grandma anyway.”

Her words shocked me and set me on a search for answers.

Nina, twelve, has always been close to me. She often spends time at my house after school, and I’ve cherished our connection. But lately, something changed. One day, I heard her swearing, and when I asked her to watch her language, she snapped, “You’re not my grandma anyway!” I was devastated.

Confused, I turned to Tina, my daughter-in-law, who was equally surprised. She promised to talk to Nina. Later, Nina admitted that her other grandmother, Stacey, had told her she couldn’t be my granddaughter because of our different skin colors.

Tina and I were both hurt by Stacey’s words. To ease Nina’s doubts, we decided to take a DNA test. When the results came back confirming our bond, Nina tearfully apologized. The distance between us melted, and our connection was stronger than ever.

We confronted Stacey, and Tina sent her the test results, making it clear she couldn’t spread lies about our family. On Thanksgiving, Stacey apologized for her words, and while the pain lingered, I forgave her. Surrounded by my family, I knew our bond — built on love, not blood — was unbreakable.