He paled.
“Every dollar you gave Aunt Elena is right here.”
He stammered. “Where did you—”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said. “You lied to Mom. You took from her. You broke her.”
He whispered, “I’m still your father.”
“Then act like it,” she said coldly.
He slammed the door as he left.
Sophie turned to me.
“Mom, we’re changing the locks.”
“He’s still my husband,” I whispered.
“He was, Mom. Not anymore.”
That night she packed his things. Neatly. Silently. Powerfully.
At sunrise, Daniel returned.
“This is how it is now?” he asked softly.
“You made it this way,” Sophie answered.
He turned to me desperately. “Anna, don’t let her do this.”
And I finally spoke the truth:
“I didn’t do this to you, Daniel.
You did it to yourself.”
He left.
The sun rose.
And the house exhaled.
Chapter 5: From Broken to Burning Bright
In the weeks after Daniel left, the house echoed differently.
No footsteps, no tension, no pretending.
Grief hid in small things:
his mug, the empty side of the bed, a man’s voice on TV.
One morning, as I pruned the rose bushes, Mrs. Harland stopped by.
“You look thinner, Anna. And not the good kind.”
I joked, “Heartbreak burns calories.”
She smiled sadly. “Heartbreak burns illusions too. Once they’re gone, you finally see who you really are.”
Days later, Sophie came home holding an envelope.
“Mom, you got the small business grant.”
“What grant?”
“The one I applied for… for your candle business.”
My hands shook opening it.
Approved. $10,000.
“You believed I could do this?” I whispered.
She smiled. “You forgot how strong you are, Mom. I didn’t.”
That night, I lit a candle on the windowsill—not for love, but for rebirth.
The house soon smelled of lavender, sandalwood, burnt wax, hope.
I made mistakes. I learned. I tried again.
For Complete Cooking STEPS Please Head On Over To Next Page Or Open button (>) and don’t forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
