Chapter 7: What Remains
After the ceremony, people gathered around Noah.
Praise. Recognition. Opportunity.
But when he came back to me, he asked quietly:
“Are you okay?”
I smiled through tears.
“I am now.”
Later, he asked, “Do you ever wish you had me earlier?”
I didn’t hesitate.
“Never.”
Epilogue
Some people think ruin happens in a single moment.
But sometimes, it begins much earlier—
With abandonment.
With cruelty.
With underestimating the wrong person.
And sometimes, fifteen years later, the truth arrives exactly on time.
Not loud.
Not vengeful.