At a family dinner, grandma asked me: «Is the $1,500 I send you every month enough?» I replied, «What kind of money?» Everyone looked at my parents, who turned pale. Grandma said a few words to them, and then it happened…

Using your money for my gambling. I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t know at the time, but that doesn’t make it right.

No, it doesn’t, I agreed. I’m not asking for forgiveness, his voice was steady. I just wanted you to know that I understand what happened, and I’m sorry for my part in it.

After we hung up, I sat on that bench for a long time, watching students walk by. Some looked stressed, others laughed with friends. Normal college life going on all around me, the life I finally had a chance to experience fully.

I thought about Henry’s call. It was the first genuine apology I’d received from anyone in my family. I didn’t know if he would stay clean this time, or if my parents would ever truly understand the harm they’d caused.

But for the first time, I realized it didn’t matter. My life was no longer defined by their choices. I had my own path now, one with opportunities, friendships, and a future limited only by my own ambitions.

Whatever happened with my family, I would be okay.