The nights she had cried herself to sleep.
The fear, the judgment, and the responsibilities no twelve-year-old should ever have to carry.
Finally, she answered.
“I regret that my childhood ended so early. I regret that the adults around me couldn’t keep me safe from what happened.”
She reached across the table and took Sophie’s hand.
“But you, sweetheart? I’ve never regretted you. Not for a single day.”
Sophie stood and embraced her mother.
And for the first time in eighteen years, Emily realized she could speak about her past without feeling afraid.
She no longer needed to hide the truth.
She no longer needed to carry everyone else’s silence.
At thirteen, Emily had desperately needed someone to protect her. At thirty-one, she had given her daughter something even more precious than love: the freedom to make her own choices.
And the greatest gift Sophie received on her eighteenth
