painful, I’d want the chance to understand myself better through understanding where I came from.”
Helen nodded.
“Then I believe you have your answer.”
As we prepared to leave Jonathan’s office, the shape of my final maternal gesture toward Amber began to crystallize.
Not vengeful. Not punitive.
Clarifying—a gift of truth that might illuminate the shadows of her own behavior, offering one last opportunity for growth even as I continued my separate journey forward.
A little gift I would leave in the empty space between us—taking form as a final
