The room erupted in gentle laughter.
“And I remember that whenever something frightened me, I knew I could tell her.”
Sophie reached for Emma's hand.
“So now that I'm eighteen, I want to tell Mum something.”
Emma could barely speak.
“What is it?”
“You're allowed to have your own life, too.”
Emma stared at her.
“You don't have to spend forever worrying about me,” Sophie said. “You don't have to keep paying for what happened when you were thirteen. You deserve to do things just because they make you happy.”
Marta wiped her eyes.
Sophie continued.
“Grandpa always wanted us to have a good future. I think the best way to honor that is to actually live one.”
Emma pulled her daughter into her arms.
For a moment, the room disappeared.
She thought about the sleepless nights.
The frightening appointments.
The years of uncertainty.
Her father's steady presence.
And the letter that had finally revealed the secret he had carried.
