PART 3: BEYOND GUILT
I stared at Mara, my mind racing as heavy footsteps approached down the hospital hallway where our parents were rushing toward us in grief.
“So he married you out of guilt?” I asked, my heart breaking for the heavy burden my brother had carried in silence for so long.
Mara shook her head firmly, a small, beautiful smile breaking through her streaming tears. “At first, he stayed by my side because he felt responsible, Claire. But that was only the beginning.”
“As we grew up, that duty turned into the purest, most profound love I have ever known in my entire life.”
“He didn’t marry me to pay a debt—he married me because he couldn’t imagine a world where he wasn’t my eyes, my protector, and my soulmate.”
“He kept the truth from your parents all these years to protect them from the guilt of making a frightened seven-year-old boy carry their secret alone.”
(The final healing of our family is about to begin! Click “Next Page” to continue reading…)
