A sense of calm I didn’t expect washes over me when I watch Harlow’s car exit Mummo Koti. Although she's leaving, the fact she returned at all tells me everything I need to know. I have not yet lost her. I still have a chance.
I started my day believing I was losing two women I love. I end it knowing I haven’t lost either. The road to regain Harlow’s trust will be bumpy, but I’m up to the task. I want this more than anything. Harlow is in my veins. I don’t even breathe without her entering my thoughts. I'll make this right. Even if she never forgives me, I'll never stop trying to fix the mistakes I made.
And I know where I must start.
The energy that makes Mummo Koti an integral part of my life is missing when I reenter the foyer. It weakened the instant my grandmother was carted to an awaiting ambulance, but the drop is even more significant now. For the first time in months, I'm walking the marble floors without Harlow by my side. It feels as foreign as what I'm about to do.
I love my sister, but what she did this weekend cannot be forgotten. I warned her I would strip her of everything she had if I lost Harlow for even a second.
I am a man who keeps his word.
Clara is about to discover this.