Jack's POV
It felt surreal—having Charlotte in my arms again.
For the longest time, I believed I had lost this moment forever. I thought I'd pushed her too far away, buried whatever remained of us beneath the weight of my own mistakes. Regret had been my only companion through sleepless nights, and hope felt like a cruel joke I didn't deserve to laugh at.
But here she was—real, warm, sitting beside me. As if time had folded in on itself. As if the pain we endured hadn't shattered us, but shaped us into people capable of finding our way back.
And none of this would've been possible without Madeline.
She hadn't just stepped aside—she had seen us. She had understood something deeper than either of us had been willing to admit. She didn't beg for attention, didn't cry, or make it about herself. She simply… let go. Quietly. Selflessly. Her heart might've broken in the process, but she gave us back something we thought we had lost forever.