My Daughter Was 15 When She Finally Looked Me in the Eye and Whispered, “I Don’t Tell Dad When I’m Hurting Anymore. He Says I Only Do It for Attention.” The Next Afternoon, I Checked Her Out of School and Drove Her to the Hospital Without a Word to My Husband. Halfway Through the Scan, the Technician Went Completely Quiet.

PART 19

The first time Gregory’s letter came up between us, Paige had already read it two times.

She kept it folded into quarters, and the paper had started to go soft along the folds.

She didn’t ask if she had to forgive him.

She asked whether people could write true things in a letter and still behave differently afterward.

“Yes,” I told her.

“Writing an apology can be a start.