When Diane came home, she muttered, “Connors didn’t say a word to me today.” There was confusion and almost disbelief in her voice. Carol only nodded. “Maybe people can change,” she said softly, though she knew the words were as much for herself as for her daughter.
That night, as mother and daughter sat in rare quiet together, Carol finally felt the ground beneath her steady. The past had resurfaced, yes—but it had not destroyed them. Instead, it left behind a warning, etched deeply: cruelty repeated destroys, but cruelty stopped can save.