CHAPTER 8: THE AFTERMATH
I went home to my twins.
I held them, and I cried.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry I let him treat us like that. I'm sorry I didn't leave sooner. But I'm here now."
Lila and Ivy cooed, reaching up to touch my face.
And I knew, in that moment, that we were going to be okay.
I started over.
I found a better job. I hired a nanny to help with the babies. I joined a support group for single mothers.
I started to heal.
Brandon came to visit the girls once a week, supervised. He was awkward and uncomfortable.
But he was trying.
"I'm sorry," he said one afternoon.
"I know."
"I know I can't undo what I did."
"No, you can't."
"Can you ever forgive me?"
I thought about it.
"I'm not there yet," I said. "But maybe someday."
He nodded.
"I'll keep trying."
I watched him with the girls, and I felt a small spark of hope.
Maybe he would change.
Maybe he would become a better father.
Maybe, one day, we could all be a family.
But even if he didn't, I knew I would be okay.
May you like
Because I had my daughters.
And I had myself.
