Chapter 16
Felice asked to see Anwen after almost two years.
I was not involved.
Anwen told me afterward because she wanted to.
They met in a hotel garden.
Public.
Neutral.
Felice apologized again.
This time without a letter.
Anwen asked one question.
“Did you ever hate Theo?”
Felice answered:
“No.”
Interesting.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Honest.
Why?
Because Anwen had something Felice could not control.
A history with me.
A child.
A truth that existed before permission.
Felice hated the helplessness of that.
Then Anwen asked:
“Why take my money?”
Felice cried.
“To make you feel as powerless as I felt.”
There.
Cruelty often wants symmetry.
I feel small.
So you become smaller.
Anwen did not forgive her.
She did not attack her either.
She said:
“You could have been jealous without making my baby disappear.”
Then left.
I listened.
No commentary.
Afterward she asked me:
“Was that too cruel?”
“No.”
Then corrected myself.
“You don’t need my ruling.”
She smiled.
Progress.
Felice never asked to meet Theo.
That was wise.
Whatever remorse she carried belonged far from the child she once treated like an object in a competition.
Anwen eventually stopped mentioning her.
So did I.
For a while, Felice had controlled every conversation by being absent from it.
May you like
Then even that ended.
Forgetfulness, when earned naturally, can be merciful.
