What he didn't anticipate was that Tyler had been in the hallway for a while.
He had heard everything. And without the slightest hesitation, he sided with his mother. He stared Richard in the eye, blamed him for abusing his trust, and told him to leave immediately — saying he wouldn't hesitate to inform the store manager of his behavior.
Richard left with his medallion. But he left behind something impossible to fix: Tyler's trust.
That evening, in the peaceful kitchen, with her son's shoulder against hers, Christine felt years of worry slowly dissolve.
Some bonds resist everything that life can try to do to them.
