“I’m ready for that,” he said.

They didn’t embrace right away. They let the silence sit where the old excuses used to be. Then Spencer rested his forehead against his mother’s hands and wept.

Abigail didn’t promise to rescue him ever again. She just stayed where she was, beside him.

A year later, the bougainvillea covered half the patio wall. Spencer had paid off a real portion of his debt and was running a small design business out of his apartment — no employees, no showroom, but his books were immaculate.

Naomi testified against Garrick Stone. Thanks to the digital evidence recovered from the phones, several local families got their property back, and the lawyer was prosecuted for fraud and forgery.

Abigail used part of the prize to create a program for family caregivers in public hospitals. She named it Accompanying Without Disappearing.