If I loved You Again

e river in streaks of gold and silver, when Ari finally

breaking, "something I should have told you years ago. It'

ay, tears she might cry, the anger she would try to hide. But now, standing here, watching Ari st

eady but soft, urging Ari to release the

rs clenching and unclenching. "Wh

Her heart skipped. Pregnant? The world seemed to tilt, and for a moment she had no

ared. I thought... I thought I couldn't be a good parent and love

ne, an explanation, a hint she might have missed. And yet, beneath the shock, beneath t

tly, barely above a whisper, afraid that

ung, overwhelmed... and I thought leaving would protect you, protect us both

lly died. She remembered the late-night walks, the whispered promises, the shared dreams. And now, layered over it all, w

ted, tears brimming in her eyes. "This...

don't expect forgiveness. I just... I wanted

river flowed beneath the bridge, constant and forgiving, carryi

f hair from Kim's face. "I'm here now," she said softl

erself into Ari's arms, to embrace the woman who had held her heart all those years ago. Bu

nally, her voice steadying. "You've told me the truth. T

ashing over her face. "One

, hope, and anticipation. The past had been painful. The present was uncertain. But for the first time in years, she a

re were still unanswered questions, choices they would have to face, and obstacles that ne

side by side but not quite touching, Kim knew one