“It was Claire’s pressure.”
“I only wanted to help.”
“I didn’t think it would look so bad.”
Evelyn listened but didn’t respond.
She wasn’t interested in arguments about appearances.
What concerned her was what Daniel had deliberately done.
Then, one evening, a different message arrived.
“Mom, I understand now. I didn’t want to help. I wanted to avoid hearing you say no. And I thought your love for me was an open door.”
Evelyn saved it.
She didn’t regard the message as an immediate solution.
Her trust in Daniel had been badly damaged, and an apology couldn’t instantly restore it.
Still, his words were different from those he’d previously sent.
For the first time, he seemed to acknowledge his own choices rather than blaming circumstances or other people.
Claire, meanwhile, showed no sign of remorse.
She demanded that Daniel “set boundaries” with his mother.
