CHAPTER 19: THE REUNION WITH FATHER
My father visited me in Austin a year later.
He looked healthier than I had ever seen him. The weight of years of lies had lifted from his shoulders. He was smiling. Relaxed. He had started volunteering at a local shelter, helping people who had fallen on hard times.
"Bella," he said, hugging me tightly. "You look amazing."
"Thanks, Dad. You too."
We went to a small café near my condo. We talked for hours about everything—the past, the future, the things we had learned.
"Your mother is doing well in prison," he said. "She's working in the library. She's even started writing."
"Writing what?"
"A memoir, I think. She's trying to make sense of everything."
"Good for her."
"Bella, I know you might not want to hear this, but she asked me to tell you that she loves you. She said she's sorry."
I nodded. "Thank you, Dad. But I'm not ready to hear it from her. Maybe someday."
He understood. He didn't push.
We sat in comfortable silence, watching the people pass by on the street.
"I'm proud of you, Bella," he said. "You've built a beautiful life."
"I have, haven't I?"
"Yes, you have."
We hugged goodbye, and I watched him walk away.
May you like
I was finally at peace with the past.
And I was finally ready for the future.
