Chapter 14 - I Thought the Nightmare Was Over Until One Morning Emma Asked Me a Question About VivienEmma was sixteen when she asked.
“Did you ever forgive her?”
We were sitting in the kitchen.
Rain fell outside.
I knew exactly who she meant.
Vivien.
I thought about it.
“No.”
She nodded.
“Why?”
“Because forgiveness isn't something you owe people.”
She looked thoughtful.
“Then why don't you hate her?”
I smiled.
“Because hatred is another way of letting someone control you.”
Emma was quiet.
Then she said:
“I think I understand.”
She had become kind.
Brave.
Strong.
She volunteered at the foundation.
She wanted to study medicine.
She wanted to help children with heart conditions.
Sometimes I wondered whether the worst day of her childhood had secretly shown her the person she would become.
That evening, Lorenzo visited.
Isabella was eighteen.
She was studying nursing.
The two girls laughed together.
Lorenzo looked at them.
“Do you ever think about that morning?”
“Every day,” I said.
He nodded.
“So do I.”
Then he handed Emma a small box.
Inside was a silver charm shaped like a heart.
“For everything you survived.”
Emma smiled.
“Thank you.”
Lorenzo looked at me.
“I still owe you.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“Then let me say something I should have said years ago.”
He paused.
“You saved my daughter.”
May you like
I shook my head.
“She saved mine.”
