“You deserve perfect,” Ariston said. “We all do.”
“I want to say something,” Elo said.
Everyone turned.
“Forty-two years ago, I thought my life was over,” she said. “I was eight, and I believed I’d never be happy, never be safe, never be free.”
Her voice was steady.
“But I was wrong,” she said. “Because one person saw me. One person refused to look away. And that changed everything.”
She looked at Sky.
“You saved my life,” she said. “But more than that, you showed me that life was worth saving.”
Sky wiped her eyes.
“Dad,” Elo said, turning to Ariston. “You showed me people can change. That’s powerful.”
He nodded, unable to speak.
“Daniel,” Elo said. “You showed me I’m worthy of love.”
He squeezed her hand.
“And Maya,” she said, looking at her daughter, “you showed me that healing isn’t just fixing the past. It’s building a better future.”
She stood, lifting her glass.
“I spent years sharing my story, helping others, fighting for change,” she said. “I’m proud of that. But you know what I’m most proud of?”
She looked around at the faces she loved most.
“This,” she said. “This family. This love. This peace.”