Chapter 17 - THOMAS REED
Dad and I became closer after everything.
Not because he rescued me.
Important.
He helped.
He did not become hero of my story.
I left.
I called.
I testified.
I rebuilt.
He stood beside me.
That was better.
One afternoon, he handed me a folder.
Mom’s old letters.
He said:
“You decide what to keep.”
Choice again.
I read some.
Not all.
One letter described Eleanor after Westbridge.
“She confuses losing control with being wronged.”
That sentence stunned me.
My mother saw Eleanor clearly decades earlier.
Then another:
“If Audrey ever inherits the Collins property, I hope she never feels obligated to keep it.”
I cried.
Mom knew property can become emotional debt.
She wanted me free.
Selling the house had honored her more than defending it forever.
Dad said:
“She would be proud.”
I answered:
“I know.”
May you like
Not because I needed approval.
Because this time, I believed it.
