Richard did not contest the will. A week later my mother arrived at the lodge alone, without the pearls, carrying a small suitcase and an apology she had clearly rehearsed and then abandoned. She said she had stood in that kitchen twelve years ago straightening mail because she was afraid.
I did not forgive her in that moment. I made her a cup of tea and showed her the guest room, and that was all either of us could manage. Megan sent a short message weeks later, saying she had not known how to stand beside me and was ashamed of it.
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