When the call ended, I felt unexpectedly lighter. Nothing dramatic had changed, but someone had finally approached the situation with compassion instead of confrontation.
I realized that moving forward didn’t mean reopening old wounds—it meant maintaining healthy boundaries while staying open to respectful dialogue. That day reminded me that even the most complicated histories can shift when empathy is present. As I set down the phone, I felt gratitude—for my own growth, for the peace I had fought for, and for the possibility of a kinder path ahead.
