PART 4 (FINAL)
My mother looked at Anna for a long moment.
Then at me.
“You will regret choosing her,” she said quietly.
There was no scream.
No breakdown.
Just certainty.
She turned around and walked toward the door.
Each step was slow.
Controlled.
Final.
When the door closed, the house didn’t feel peaceful.
It felt empty.
But for the first time… it wasn’t suffocating.
It was free.
I returned to Anna and sat beside her.
She leaned into me instantly, like her body had been waiting for permission to collapse.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to cause problems between you and your mother.”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “You didn’t cause anything. You survived it.”
Her fingers tightened around mine.
We stayed like that for a long time.
No more shouting.
No more tension.
Just silence.
May you like
But this silence was different.
It was healing.
