The brakes had failed.
Completely.
There was nothing he could have done.
But Thomas never believed that.
He carried it.
Every version of “what if.”
Every possible way he could’ve done something differently.
Every second.
For the rest of his life.
And then came the part that broke something in me completely.
After the accident, there was a call.
No family.
No one to take me.
I would’ve gone into the system.
He refused.
He told Amanda they would adopt me.
Together.
She said no.
She couldn’t do it.
Couldn’t carry that kind of life.
That kind of responsibility.
That kind of pain.
So he made a choice.
He chose me.
He ended his engagement.
Walked away from his future.
And built a new one around a child that wasn’t his.
Me.
I sat there, numb.
Not crying.
Not speaking.
