For the first time since this nightmare began, Lina had no new label to hide behind.
Ryan watched her.
“What are you doing?”
She sniffed.
“Taking mine home.”
Then she turned toward the ballroom.
“Amelia?” I called.
She looked back at me.
“I have to get my stuff, Mom.”
I followed her to the doorway but stopped there.
“Taking mine home.”
The ballroom went quiet when Amelia walked back inside.
I could see the unity table from where I stood.
One large candle burned on the table, surrounded by empty space.
I could see the unity table from where I stood.
Ryan followed a few steps behind.
“Sweetheart…”
Amelia turned around.
Everyone watched.
My parents.
Lina.
Ryan.
The photographer.
Ryan followed a few steps behind.
Relatives who had spent months telling me I needed to accept the new reality.
Amelia hugged the candle to her chest.
“I came because you’re my dad.”
Ryan said nothing.
My MIL Decided My Daughter Needed to Lose Weight and Denied Her Another Cupcake – Right in Front of My Husband and Me
My Classmates and I Laid to Rest a Time Capsule 20 Years Ago – When We Opened It, We Couldn’t Believe What Was Inside
My SIL Refused to Pay My 15-Year-Old Daughter for Babysitting Her Two Young Children – So I Made Sure She Learned Her Lesson
