They parted outside the café.
Emma walked home carrying a piece of the past in her bag.
And for the first time, she felt that she had approached that past on her own terms.
Sophie's Questions About the Family She Never Knew
That evening, Sophie sat cross-legged on the living room floor with the album open in front of her.
Emma had told her about the meeting without hiding the uncomfortable parts.
Sophie listened carefully.
She asked whether Helena seemed kind.
Emma explained that kindness in one conversation was not enough to define a person.
She asked whether Helena had apologized.
Emma said she had acknowledged her failures.
Then Sophie asked the question Emma had expected.
“Do you believe her?”
Emma considered it.
“I believe she regrets what she did. But I don't know her well enough to say more than that.”
Sophie nodded.
She turned another page.
There was a photograph of Lucas as a small boy.
