Chapter 25

• Mr. Wendell is already seated in the car when I step outside. The morning light glints softly off the windshield, and for the first time that day, I allow myself a small smile. “I hope you won’t have to come back here again,” I say, trying to keep my tone light.
• He smiles back, that calm, fatherly warmth in his eyes. “Not for my health, I hope,” he says with quiet humor. Then, his voice turns softer. “But perhaps I’ll come back to see my future granddaughter-in-law.”
• The words hit harder than I expect. My smile fades. The sting of Howard’s cruel voice from just minutes ago still echoes in my head—every hateful word he threw at me is still bleeding somewhere deep inside. My chest tightens, and for a moment, I don’t even know how to breathe.