Chloe touched my arm.
“I don’t want revenge, Dad. I want to stop carrying a story that isn’t true.”
I looked at her.
“And if the truth hurts you?”
“It already hurts me not knowing why she never came.”
She held my gaze.
“Let me make this decision.”
I thought about the little girl who had stood on the stairs and asked whether she had done something wrong.
Then I thought about the woman standing beside me, ready to marry the man she loved.
Finally, I nodded.
“But we do this your way,” I told her. “No cruelty. No shouting. No lies.”
Chloe smiled sadly.
“That’s why I need you there.”
The wedding day arrived beneath a clear blue sky.
The venue was an elegant country estate with a garden ceremony area, white flowers, and long windows that filled the reception hall with afternoon sunlight.
I arrived early because I had spent most of my life believing that being prepared was the best way to keep a family safe.
