around the truth.
Andrew had left behind a key, a child, and a choice those walls could not survive.
Nothing restored Elise’s stolen years.
Nothing returned Andrew.
Consequences did not become redemption merely because Marianne accepted them.
But beside the grave, with Lena watching carefully and Claire asking for another story, Marianne finally understood that dignity could not be taken, purchased, or inherited.
It could only be honored.
This time, she did not reach for the roses.
She sat quietly beside the daisies and began again.
