I only wanted to give you the best life possible. And if that meant being your mother in silence, taking all your resentment without ever revealing the truth, then so be it. Because my love for you was never about needing you to love me back—it was about making sure you were safe, happy, and never alone again. My sweet boy, I never left you. Not then. Not now. Not ever. With all the love in the world, Mom. Stuart’s hands trembled as the letter slipped from his grip. His knees buckled, and for the first time in years, he sobbed—great, heaving sobs that shook his entire body. All the anger, the pain, the loneliness—everything he had buried for so long—came crashing down in a tidal wave of grief and revelation. She had been his real mother all along. She had fought for him, suffered for him, loved him with everything she had, and he had pushed her away. And now, it was too late to say the words he should have said long ago. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to the cold stone. “I love you too.” As the wind rustled the trees around him, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant flowers, Stuart swore he could hear her voice—soft, gentle, full of love. “I know, sweetheart. I always knew
