Annie played in the grass, laughing with a joy that had finally returned to her life.
Victor sat down beside Catherine on the bench.
“I do not want you to come back to me out of pity, or even for Annie’s sake,” he said, looking toward the horizon.
“I just want to ask for the chance to earn your love all over again, even if it takes the rest of my life.”
Catherine looked at him, remembering the cold rain, the nights she cried herself to sleep, and the terror of being alone in the dark with a child.
But she also remembered the man who had given part of his own body to save her, the father who now braided Annie’s hair before school, and the husband who had finally chosen to listen to her instead of his family’s whispers.
“I cannot promise to forget everything, Victor,” she said, her voice quiet.
