Tears welled up in Mary’s eyes as she turned to her sister. “You should have told me,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Esmerelda, equally emotional, responded, “I didn’t want you to suffer like I did.” They embraced, tears flowing freely, finally sharing the pain that had kept them apart for so long.
Despite the sorrow of the story, Mary felt an unexpected sense of peace. Knowing the truth about her father’s incarceration brought clarity. For years, she had carried a vague, painful mystery, but now she understood what had happened and why. There was some comfort in that.