PART 4: A HOME REUNITED
When we pulled up to Grandma’s house, the front porch was decorated with bright banners and colorful balloons.
Sitting in her favorite armchair near the window was Grandma, wearing a broad, triumphant smile as she watched us arrive.
She had spent her remaining energy setting up a modest celebration, refusing to let my milestone go unnoticed.
Leo helped me into the house, and the three of us embraced in a long, tearful hug that felt like healing.
We sat around the kitchen table for hours, sharing stories of our parents, laughing through our tears, and eating homemade cake.
For the first time in seven long months, the heavy cloud of grief that hovered over our home finally lifted.
I looked at my diploma resting on the table next to an old family photo, realizing that love had brought us back together.
We were still hurting, but we were no longer broken; we were a family once more, ready to face the future together.
