“She left two years ago,” the receptionist told him, flipping through the records.
“What? But where did she go? I’m her only family!” Henry cried.
The receptionist sighed and handed him a note. “Go to this address. She left after marrying David, our old janitor. He treated her like family when you didn’t. She found love, Henry.”
Henry’s knees went weak. His mother—alone and abandoned—had found love without him.
He drove for hours, finally arriving at a small cottage by a tiny farm. With shaking hands, he knocked.
The door creaked open.
“Henry? Oh, my boy!” Edith gasped, tears in her eyes.
Henry fell to his knees. “Mom, I’m so sorry. I was blind, and I hurt you. Please, forgive me.”
Edith’s eyes softened. “Oh, Henry… you finally understand, don’t you?” She wheeled forward and pulled him into a hug. “I forgave you long ago. I missed you, my son.”
“You did? Even after what I did?”
“People who want to mend their mistakes should be forgiven,” she said, stroking his hair. “I love you.”
Henry wept in her arms.
Later, Henry met David, the man who had cared for his mother when he failed. He thanked him with all his heart and, determined never to leave Edith again, bought a house nearby.
A month later, Henry surprised them both with something special—a destination wedding in Miami.
“David, Mom,” he grinned. “You deserve the best.”
Under the warm sun, Edith and David said their vows. Henry stood by, watching his mother beaming with happiness. And in that moment, he knew—he had finally made things right.