Chapter 16 - DanielDaniel was a firefighter.
He came to the foundation to teach the children fire safety.
He didn't care about my money.
He didn't care about my name.
He didn't even seem impressed by the mansion.
He asked me about the foundation.
About the children.
About what I wanted to build.
He listened.
That was what frightened me most.
Ryan had always talked.
Daniel listened.
We started slowly.
Coffee.
Walks.
Long conversations.
He knew about Ryan.
He knew about the trial.
He knew I had once been afraid to trust anyone.
He never pushed.
One evening, he said:
“You don't have to prove anything to me.”
I looked at him.
“What if I'm broken?”
“You're not broken.”
He smiled.
May you like
“You survived.”
For the first time, I believed him.
