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Chapter 20: A Chance Encounter with His Mother

last update Last Updated: 2025-03-29 16:08:48

Elliott

A few days later, I’m at a café near my office when I unexpectedly run into my mother. She’s sitting alone, reading a book, her tea steaming beside her. For a moment, I consider leaving before she sees me, but something in me tells me to stay. Maybe it’s the conversation I had with Emma, or the look of quiet peace on my mother’s face. I feel a tug of courage, an impulse to try and bridge the gap, even in a small way.

“Mom?” I say, approaching her table.

She looks up, her eyes lighting up in surprise. “Elliot! What a pleasant surprise. Are you free to join me?”

I nod, pulling out the chair across from her. We talk about little things at first—work, family, memories from my childhood that make her smile. But underneath it all, I can feel the weight of the unspoken, the things I still can’t bring myself to say.

After a pause, she reaches across the table, placing her hand over mine. “You seem…different lately,” she says, her voice gentle. “Is there something on your mind?”

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