The wedding was intimate and bright. Callahan's little students played a rough but overwhelmingly sincere melody. Lorie discreetly wiped away a few tears. And for the first time in years, Merritt was no longer "the woman with the scars." She was simply the bride.
The confession that changes everything we thought we knew
That evening, back home, Callahan gently put his hands on her face. His fingers ran over his cheeks, his jaw, up to the marks on his neck. By instinct, she almost backed away. Years of carrying this shame do not disappear in a single evening.
But he whispered: "You are beautiful. And something was released inside her—in the most beautiful way. She cried against his shoulder like she had never done before. Soothed. Finally really seen.
