“That’s exactly what I did.”
No excuse.
No defense.
Just acknowledgment.
“I’m sorry, Jenna.”
“I believe you.”
His eyes opened.
“But?”
“This doesn’t disappear tonight because Hannah gave a beautiful speech.”
“I know.”
“I need you to understand the difference between protecting Audrey’s memory and erasing my presence.”
“I do.”
“You need to show me.”
“I will.”
Greg slowly reached toward my hand, then stopped.
“Can I?”
That question nearly broke me.
I put my hand into his.
“You were protecting the past,” I said.
His eyes filled.
“And Hannah lives in the present.”
“So do we.”
“Yes.”
The balcony door opened.
Karen stepped outside.
“Good.”
Greg raised an eyebrow.
“Good?”
“You look miserable.”
“That feels unnecessary.”
She looked directly at him.
“My sister loved you.”
“I know.”
“She would have hated what you did to Jenna this week.”
Greg swallowed.
“I know.”
“No, Greg.”
Karen stepped closer.
“Audrey wasn’t insecure.”
He looked away.
“She would never have believed somebody loving Hannah after she was gone made her less Hannah’s mother.”
Then she said the thing none of us had put into words.
“You created that competition.”
Greg nodded.
“You’re right.”
Karen looked at me.
“Come inside.”
“Why?”
“Your stepdaughter is looking for you.”
Stepdaughter.
For the first time, the word didn’t sound like a lesser version of daughter.
It simply described how we had found each other.
Inside, Hannah held out her hand.
“What?”
“You owe me a dance.”
“I don’t dance.”
“You embarrassingly dance in kitchens.”
“That is private.”
“Not anymore.”
Ethan appeared.
“She has video.”
“Traitor.”
Hannah dragged me onto the dance floor.
We didn’t perform some formal mother-daughter number.
We simply danced badly and laughed.
Then she leaned close.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
