Chapter 7 - THE BROTHER WHO NEVER FORGAVE HIMSELF
Gabriel Bennett had spent twenty-three years searching for me.
He remembered the day we were separated.
I was nine.
He was nineteen.
Our parents had died in a highway accident.
The family was thrown into chaos.
Gabriel was sent to an uncle.
Julian to another relative.
Nathaniel to boarding school.
And I disappeared into the foster-care system.
Gabriel never forgave himself.
He believed he should have protected me.
Now, sitting beside my hospital bed after my release on bail, he looked exhausted.
“Ellie.”
I smiled faintly.
“Gabriel.”
He swallowed.
“I'm sorry.”
I frowned.
“For what?”
“For not finding you sooner.”
My eyes filled.
I reached for his hand.
“You were nineteen.”
He looked down.
“You were nine.”
Silence.
Then I whispered:
“You didn't abandon me.”
His eyes filled.
“You lost me.”
He nodded.
I smiled through tears.
“But you found me.”
May you like
Gabriel pulled me into his arms.
And for the first time in twenty-three years, my oldest brother allowed himself to cry.
