“I was wrong,” he said, his voice trembling. “I thought I was protecting you, but all I did was push you away.”
His words broke the wall I had built around my heart. Tears welled in my eyes as I reached for him.
“I missed you, Dad.”
For the first time in years, we hugged. He apologized for his pride and his mistakes, and I forgave him.
When the triplets toddled into the room, curious about the stranger, his face lit up with wonder.
“Are you Grandpa?” one of them asked shyly.
“Yes,” he choked out, tears streaming down his face. “Grandpa’s here now.”
In that moment, I realized that forgiveness and love could heal even the deepest wounds.
Our lives may not have turned out the way my father envisioned, but they were filled with the kind of wealth that truly matters: family, love, and resilience.
