Chapter 13 - THE CHOICE THAT COULDN'T BE FORCED
Emma and Daniel began attending counseling together.
Not because they were ready to reunite.
Because they wanted to understand what had gone wrong.
They talked about trust.
Fear.
Secrets.
The way Emma's father's abandonment had shaped her expectations.
The way Daniel's instinct to protect others had sometimes made him withhold important information.
One afternoon, the counselor asked:
“What do you need from each other now?”
Emma looked at Daniel.
Then said:
“Honesty.”
Daniel nodded.
“Even when it's uncomfortable.”
Emma smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
Daniel thought for a moment.
Then said:
“I need to know that if something goes wrong, you'll talk to me before disappearing.”
Emma's eyes filled.
She nodded.
“I understand.”
They didn't rush.
They continued co-parenting.
Spent time together.
Learned to disagree without running away.
One evening, Daniel invited Emma to dinner.
Just the two of them.
No Lily.
No business.
No pressure.
They went to a small restaurant overlooking Lake Champlain.
Emma wore a dark-green dress.
Daniel looked nervous.
She laughed.
“What?”
He smiled.
“I haven't been on a first date in a while.”
Emma raised an eyebrow.
“Is that what this is?”
He hesitated.
“Only if you want it to be.”
Emma looked at him.
Then smiled.
“Yes.”
After dinner, they walked beside the lake.
Daniel stopped.
“Emma?”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Her heart raced.
For a moment, she remembered Chicago.
The corridor.
The rain.
The years.
Then she looked at the man standing in front of her.
He wasn't asking her to forget.
He was asking whether they could begin again.
Emma smiled.
“Yes.”
May you like
Daniel kissed her gently.
And for the first time in four years, the past felt like something they could finally stop living inside.
