“I treated you so badly,” I mumbled. “Yesterday, I—” “You were scared,” she said softly. “You were sixteen. And yesterday… you were still scared.” There was no bitterness in her voice. Just understanding. She had grown into a woman with a strength I didn’t have at her age. A heart big enough to hold compassion for the mother who had abandoned her. The transplant was done two weeks later. She asked for nothing in return. No apology. No recognition. No place in our family.…
