Life changed after that. Her mansion filled with laughter, spilled cereal, and late-night cartoons. Healing was slow—doors made them flinch, and food made them anxious—but Margaret stayed, becoming the mother she had once lost the chance to be. She took time off work, enrolled them in school, and rebuilt trust day by day.
Months later, Margaret founded Second Table, a charity for homeless children, and held its first event at the same restaurant where she had met her boys. As children filled the room with laughter, Noah stood and said, “The richest people are the ones who don’t forget what hunger feels like.” That night, as Margaret tucked her boys in, Eli asked if their father could see them. She kissed his forehead. “I think he’s proud we found each other.” And for the first time in years, Margaret felt whole—proof that the greatest wealth is love given back.
