“For now.”
Sophie rolled her eyes and returned to Maria.
Daniel watched her go.
“She likes you.”
“Obviously.”
“She tolerates you.”
“Jealousy is unattractive.”
The event began a few minutes later.
Before entering the auditorium, I paused.
A year earlier, I had entered that courthouse convinced everything meaningful was about to be taken from me.
Instead, I had left with something I had spent most of my life avoiding.
Limits.
At first, they felt like loss.
Later, they became clarity.
I could not control whether my body weakened.
I could not force my memory to remain exactly as it had been.
I could not undo the mistakes Daniel made.
Or Gregory.
Or Mark.
Or Vanessa.
Or me.
But I could still choose what came next.
I could choose who stood beside me.
I could choose which responsibilities to keep.
Which ones to release.
Which apologies to accept.
Which relationships deserved another attempt.
