Troy sat down on the basement stairs and buried his face in his hands. Dad didn’t call the police that evening. He said Christmas Eve was supposed to be about family, even when that family had made terrible mistakes. But the following morning, he made two important phone calls.
The first was to a treatment center two hours north. Dad personally paid the intake deposit, and Troy entered the facility the day after Christmas. The second call was to a divorce attorney.
Later, Dad explained his decision to me while sitting at my kitchen table. He said he might have forgiven the stolen money. He might even have understood how addiction could lead someone to steal medication. But he couldn’t forgive Darlene for deliberately destroying Paige’s reputation to protect her son. Darlene moved out in February.
In March, Paige received a handwritten letter from Troy. It was three pages long. He apologized for stealing from the man who had treated him like family and admitted that allowing Paige to suffer for his actions was something he couldn’t stop thinking about. He said her tearful face was the first thing he remembered every morning.
THE STORY CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE… 👇👇👇
