Olga stood at the door, eyes filled with regret.
— *I came to apologize,* she whispered. *I ruined everything. I don’t expect forgiveness… I just needed to say it.*

Nikolai looked at her—the woman who had once stripped him of his daughter. Silence stretched between them until he finally spoke.
— *You’ve said it. And maybe one day, that will bring you peace. But forgiveness… that’s not something you can reclaim. It’s something you earn moving forward.*

Tears welled in Olga’s eyes. She nodded, ready to leave. But Maria gently stopped her.
— *We all make mistakes. Some cost more than others. But if you want peace, do good—not for redemption, but because it’s right.*

Olga left—unforgiven, but heard.

That evening, Nikolai sat with Maria and Sasha, flipping through pages of their storybook. On the final page, Maria had written:

> *“Love doesn’t always come when you expect it. Sometimes, it finds you on a park bench… holding tea and a second chance.”*

Nikolai smiled. His life hadn’t gone as planned. But somehow, through loss and rediscovery, he had found a family—and a peace more honest than anything he’d known before.