Chapter 23 - Visiting Reena
Reena completed custody-related treatment after release.
Visits remained supervised.
Why not unsupervised after three years?
Because safety was improving, not proven enough.
And children were not asking.
At a family center, she played with Lily.
Drew sometimes refused.
No penalty.
One afternoon Reena brought cookies.
Lily reached immediately.
Then stopped.
Looked at Drew.
Old pattern.
Reena saw.
Her face crumpled.
She said:
“You can eat.”
Lily took one.
Drew waited.
Reena did not say:
Ask first.
Good.
Then she said:
“I’m sorry food got scary.”
Drew looked at her.
No response.
He ate a cookie.
That was enough.
No hug.
No forgiveness.
Reena’s recovery could exist without children serving as certificate.
She found work again.
Office administration.
Lived in small apartment.
Continued therapy.
No new partner subplot.
No redemption romance.
Just a woman living with consequences and trying to become safer.
May you like
Whether her children ever wanted more remained theirs.
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