A Lesson in Loyalty
The next day, we took Sophie to the animal shelter—not to leave Max, but to help her understand what could have happened.
She walked quietly past rows of lonely eyes and wagging tails.
“Why are they all alone?” she asked softly.
“Some of them were given up,” I said. “Some had no one to fight for them.”
Sophie’s lip trembled. She didn’t say anything more.
That evening, she curled up next to Max, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered:
“I’m sorry. I love you. You’re part of us now.”
And something shifted again—not in a dramatic, movie-ending kind of way—but gently. Honestly. Like healing.
