“But Eleanor, the woman sitting in the front row is not here because I loved her more.”
Vivian lifted her head sharply.
“She is here because she has carried a lie that belongs to me. And today, I am asking her to return what she took from our family.”
My breath caught.
Return what?
Father Michael paused, looked toward Vivian, and unfolded the second page.
Part 2 The church seemed to shrink around me.
Every face turned toward Vivian.
She sat frozen, one gloved hand pressed against the small purse in her lap. The confidence she had carried into the church—the lifted chin, the perfect lipstick, the quiet claim of importance—began to crumble.
Father Michael cleared his throat and continued reading.
“Eleanor, there are things I hid because I was ashamed. There are things I excused because I was selfish. And there are things I allowed because I was a coward. Vivian did not steal my love from you. I gave away what was never mine to give. But she did take something else.”
