Richard POV
Weeks slipped by, and Payton grew stronger every single day. She could finally sit up without help and even walk to the bathroom on her own. I stayed glued to her side, and so did her mother, Mrs. Bianca. Even though her mom had a thousand other things pulling at her, she never left Payton’s bedside. Brooke and Nora came to visit at least twice a week, arms full of gifts and fresh flowers. Brooke had postponed her wedding just so Payton could be there when the time came. “I need my best friend standing beside me,” she’d said, and I’d never seen Payton smile so wide.
We still hadn’t talked about the past. Every time she tried to bring it up, I gently shut it down. “Get well first,” I’d tell her. “Then we’ll face everything. Right now, your only job is to heal.”
The day we fin
