Chapter 15 - THE FAMILY PHOTO
A year after the hospital incident, Megan moved into a smaller house with Ella.
Not small.
Just smaller than the mansion that had once represented success.
She liked it better.
There were fewer rooms for secrets to hide in.
Andrew maintained separate relationships with both children under structured agreements.
Noah lived primarily with Claire.
He and Ella saw each other occasionally.
Slowly.
Carefully.
On Ella’s sixth birthday, Noah attended for one hour.
He brought her a book.
Nothing expensive.
No grand gesture.
Before leaving, a family friend took a photograph.
Ella stood beside Megan.
Noah stood several feet away.
Andrew was not in the frame.
Later that evening, Megan looked at the picture.
It was imperfect.
Awkward.
Nothing like the polished Harrison family portraits from the old house.
And yet it was the first family photograph Megan had seen in years that contained no lie.
She placed it in a drawer.
Not because she was ashamed of it.
Because she understood now that not every moment needed to become a performance.
May you like
Some things could simply be true.
And after eight years of secrets, truth was enough.
