A Turning Point
Later that night, Daniel handed the wooden box back to her carefully.
“I’m not throwing this away,” he said. “But this was the last time I stayed quiet. You don’t get to erase Emily. You don’t get to hurt my son again. Either figure out how to be part of this family, or go back to Jake.”
The next day, the bunnies lay drying across the table. Claire stayed quiet, avoiding us, but kept glancing at them—as if trying to understand.
That evening, she surprised us. She called us into the living room.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, looking at Liam first. “I shouldn’t have done that. There’s no excuse. I thought if I pushed hard enough, Liam would let go of his mom and make space for me. I didn’t understand what those sweaters meant—or what he turned them into. I do now.”
Then she walked outside. Moments later, she returned holding the empty wooden box. She handed it to Liam. “Can we start again?”
He hesitated, then hugged her. Just like that.
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