Chapter 103
Repairing What Was Broken
My mother moved through the house like a woman possessed, the fatigue she'd worn for weeks burned away by the sudden, fierce fire of tradition. The dowry ceremony was no longer just an event on the calendar. In her mind, it had transformed into something essential, a public rite of repair, a way to stitch our family's torn dignity back together.
"Alayna, help me move this cabinet," she called, already bracing her shoulder against the heavy wooden frame in the front room. Her breath was strained, but her resolve was iron. "The gifts must be displayed properly. Everyone will see them here when Dafa and his family brings them in."
"Mother, it's still next week," I said, as I watched the dust rise and spin in the slanted sunlight. "Do we really need to do all this now?"
"Now is the only time we have," she replied without looking at me. "This cannot be postponed. This is about repairing what was broken."
That was when I understood.
