CHAPTER 32: THE VISIT FROM EMMA
Emma was twelve now.
She was becoming a teenager.
Curious. Independent. Strong.
She came to me one evening.
"Mom? Can we talk?"
"Of course."
She sat down.
"I was thinking about Daddy."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I just... I wanted to know the truth. The real truth."
I took a deep breath.
"The truth is complicated."
"I know. But I want to understand."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
So I told her.
Everything.
The kidnapping.
The escape.
The trial.
The truth.
She listened in silence.
Then she said, "Did he ever love us?"
I thought about it.
"I think he did. In his own way. But he loved himself more."
She nodded.
"That's what I thought."
She hugged me.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that, Mom."
"Me too. But I wouldn't change it. Because it brought me here. To you. To this life. And I wouldn't trade that for anything."
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, baby."
And I meant it.
Because even though everything had been broken, we had rebuilt it.
May you like
Together.
And that was more than enough.
