CHAPTER 10 — THE LETTER
At home, Abeni opened it.
“Dear Abeni,
You were the one woman I feared and admired.
I tried to break you.
But you became the woman I wished I could be.
You showed me strength without cruelty,
intelligence without manipulation,
and forgiveness without surrender.
If your children ask about your first marriage,
tell them the truth.
Tell them even the darkest night can still lead to light.
— Zola.”
Abeni folded the letter, eyes wet.
Not from grief.
From closure.
