Chapter 13
Sophie looked out the window at the garden,
seeing the sunflowers that had survived the changing seasons.
She remembered the lesson her mother had taught her about surviving the cold winter.
Turning back to the lawyer,
her voice was calm,
mature beyond her twelve years of age.
"I want to go,"
Sophie stated clearly,
surprising even Evelyn,
who looked at her with wide eyes.
"Are you sure,
my love?"
Evelyn asked,
reaching out to touch her daughter's shoulder gently.
"You do not have to face them,
you do not have to prove anything to anyone."
Sophie smiled,
the same bright,
confident smile that warmed the entire cottage every single day.
"I know I don't have to prove anything,
Mom."
"But I want to see that place again,
not because I want their money,
but because I want to see how small it looks now."
"I want to show them that they didn't break us,
that we grew anyway."
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Evelyn felt a tear slip down her cheek,
overwhelmed by the incredible strength of the daughter she had raised.
