“Why did you help us?” she asked. “You didn’t even know me.”
Michael smiled softly. “Because when I was a little boy, someone helped me. They didn’t ask why. They just did. And it changed everything. Now it’s my turn.”
Michael’s smile deepened. “That’s the best thank-you I could ever get.”
As they stood under the streetlight, the cold wind brushed against their coats, but neither of them felt it. Emily had gone from being a hungry, frightened child thrown out of a store to a little girl filled with hope.
And somewhere inside, she carried a lesson she’d never forget: even in the hardest moments, compassion can rewrite a story completely.
