We began again slowly, rebuilding trust through small moments, shared silence, and effort that never stopped. Weeks later she said, “I’m willing to try,” and that was enough.
We kept going, through good days and hard ones, learning to sit beside each other without pretending. One evening she leaned on my shoulder and said, “You’ve been patient,” and I replied, “I’m just glad I get to be here.”
She smiled, and it reached her eyes for the first time in months. We knew the road ahead would not be easy, but we were ready to walk it together, step by step, without running this time.
