Tears pricked at my eyes, blurring the words. I blinked them away, desperate to read on.

“I’m sorry, my son. I’m sorry for the times we didn’t listen, for the times we made you feel like you weren’t enough. This wedding—your sister’s happiness—it became another one of those expectations. But seeing you here, broken and vulnerable, I realize we’ve been wrong. Family isn’t about forcing you to meet our standards; it’s about being there for each other, through everything.”

A lump formed in my throat, and my mother’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she watched me absorb her words.