A large man stood on my porch, bundled in a thick winter coat, face flushed from the cold. He paced in tight circles, running a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath. I didn’t recognize him. That alone made my stomach drop. Christmas night is not when strangers show up uninvited.
I stepped back, deciding to ignore it.
The knocking came again—harder.
“Eleanor!” he shouted. “I know you’re home. Open the door!”
My heart slammed. He knew my name.
I stayed behind the door and called out, my voice unsteady. “You have the wrong house. Go away.”
“No, I don’t,” he snapped. “This is about your mother.”
Everything inside me froze.
My mother. The woman who erased me from her life like I never existed.
Before I could respond, he took a step back, lifting his hand as if ready to break the door down. Panic surged. This was my home. I refused to be chased out of it. With shaking hands, I unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door just enough to see him clearly.
“I don’t know you,” I said, forcing strength into my voice. “I have no relationship with my mother. Leave. Now.”
He pushed the door wider, stepping inside without permission. Up close, I noticed the deep lines of exhaustion carved into his face.
“My name is David,” he said, his tone shifting abruptly. “I’m your mother’s friend—her lawyer. Please, Eleanor. You have to come with me. She’s in the hospital. She’s dying. And she’s asking for you.”
I almost laughed. The sound caught painfully in my throat.
“She has a son,” I replied coldly. “James. She raised him. She loved him. She doesn’t need me.”
“She doesn’t want James,” David said quietly. “James can’t be here. And I know what she did to you. I know everything. But she’s begging to see you. She needs to tell you something before it’s too late.”
James’s name cracked something open inside me.
“What do you mean he can’t be here?” I asked sharply. “Is he okay?”
David hesitated. “He’s overseas. We can’t reach him. Please… time isn’t on our side.”
I stared at him, searching for deception, but found none. Reluctantly, I grabbed my coat and keys. This wasn’t forgiveness, I told myself. It was closure.
