“I don’t expect you to forget, because I don’t want to forget either,” he replied.
“I want us to remember so we never make these mistakes again.”
Annie ran to them, slipping between them and taking both of their hands.
“Are we a family again?” she asked, looking from one face to the other.
Tears pricked Catherine’s eyes as she looked at Victor.
“We never stopped being a family, sweetheart, we were just lost for a little while.”
A year later, Victor hosted a large charity gala, not for himself, but for a foundation he had created to support single mothers in crisis.
He stood onstage with Catherine and Annie beside him, speaking not about real estate or profits, but about listening, pride’s danger, and the truth that saves lives.
Maris sat at the back of the room in a simple dress, her face aged and humbled, but her eyes clear.
