Chapter 16 - THE WOMAN WHO HAD LOST HER DAUGHTEREleanor and Anna slowly rebuilt their relationship.
It was not easy.
Twenty years could not disappear overnight.
There were questions.
Pain.
Anger.
Regret.
Sometimes, Anna still woke up afraid.
Sometimes, Eleanor still blamed herself.
But they kept trying.
One evening, Eleanor found Anna sitting alone in the garden.
“Are you okay?”
Anna nodded.
Then shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Eleanor sat beside her.
Anna looked at her.
“I missed so much.”
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
“So did I.”
“I missed your birthdays.”
“I missed yours.”
“I missed watching you grow old.”
Eleanor smiled sadly.
“And I missed watching you become a mother.”
They sat quietly.
Then Anna reached for her hand.
It was the first time she had done so without hesitation.
Eleanor held it tightly.
May you like
They could not recover the lost years.
But they could choose what to do with the years that remained.
