Chapter 17
Years passed, but Diane’s shadow faded.
Not vanished.
Faded.
Lily grew into a bright girl who asked what every medicine was and expected answers.
Mara became protective, artistic, and fierce.
Claire moved with a cane and taught both girls how to bake bread badly.
Rachel remained my emergency contact, gossip source, and occasional sanity.
I dated once.
It went nowhere.
Then I dated no one for a long time.
That was fine.
My life did not need romance to prove it had healed.
Then I met Aaron at an advocacy fundraiser.
He was a public defender.
Kind eyes.
Careful hands.
When I told him I had a daughter, he asked what she liked.
Not where her father was.
That mattered.
Lily met him after a year.
She asked, “Do you give medicine?”
He blinked.
“No.”
“Do you listen to no?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
That was her approval.
Not trust yet.
Approval.
Aaron understood the difference.
He never rushed her.
May you like
Never rushed me.
That patience felt like a language I wanted to learn.
