At the opening ceremony, there were no politicians. No business tycoons looking for photo ops. Only the people who mattered. Kids chasing kites. Single mothers receiving legal advice and job training. Talia handing out food. Jace standing in clean sneakers instead of the torn boots he used to wear. Brielle holding a bouquet of wildflowers she had picked herself.
She tugged my sleeve. “Dad. Do you think we can really live here. Live like this.”
I crouched and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “We are already living. And as long as we choose each other, we are home.”
She smiled. A true smile that lit up her eyes instead of draining them.
As the sun bled into the horizon, streaking the sky in marigold and violet, I sat beside my family on a wooden bench. Jace leaned his head against my shoulder and whispered, “Thank you for not giving up.”
“I should be thanking you,” I answered.
Talia approached with cups of lemonade. She sat quietly. Then she spoke.
“We will never forget what happened. But we are not chained to it anymore. Scars do not vanish. They just stop being open wounds.”