Chapter 15 - VANESSA RETURNS
Vanessa did not come to the Easter dinner.
She came the following afternoon.
She stood at my gate.
Alone.
"May I talk to you?"
I opened the gate.
She looked around.
The house had changed.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
It was alive again.
"You made it beautiful," she whispered.
"I restored it."
She nodded.
"I wanted to apologize in person."
"You already did."
"I needed to say it."
I listened.
"I was jealous of you."
That surprised me.
"Of me?"
"You had everything I was terrified I would never have."
"Security?"
"Control."
She laughed bitterly.
"I thought money gave people control."
I said nothing.
She looked down.
"You knew what I didn't."
"What?"
"Control isn't owning everything."
She lifted her eyes.
"It's being able to lose something without losing yourself."
I felt something loosen in my chest.
"That's true."
She took a breath.
"I don't expect you to forgive me."
"I already have."
She looked startled.
"But?"
"Forgiveness doesn't mean permission."
She nodded slowly.
"I understand."
May you like
That was enough.
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