The vibrant, energetic woman I remembered was gone. In her place was a tired, weathered figure with deep lines on her face and hollow eyes. She looked like she had been carrying a weight she couldn’t put down for twelve years.
Bill stood beside me, gripping my hand tightly.
“Bill,” Alyssa breathed, tears streaming down her face. “Look at you. You’re so big.”
He didn’t let go of my hand.
“Why did you leave?” he asked, his voice small.
Alyssa’s face crumpled.
“Because I was broken,” she said. “After your father died, I couldn’t… I couldn’t be what you needed. I couldn’t even take care of myself. I thought if I stayed, I would ruin you. I thought Edward and Hera could give you the life you deserved.”
She looked at me, her eyes full of shame.
“I watched from a distance,” she continued. “I saw you at the park. I saw you at school plays. I saw you become this amazing person. And every day, I told myself it was because I left. That I did the right thing.”
Bill was crying now, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
“You could have come back,” he said. “You could have tried.”
Alyssa nodded, her shoulders shaking.
“I know,” she sobbed. “I know, baby. I was too scared. Too ashamed. Every year that passed, it got harder. I thought you’d hate me. I thought Edward would hate me. I thought everyone would be better off if I just… stayed gone.”
Hera, who had been standing quietly behind us, stepped forward.
“You should have told us,” Hera said, her voice firm but not unkind. “We would have helped you. We would have figured something out.”
