CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN: FORGIVEN

After months of distance and tension, the first real breakthrough between Anna and Jonathan happened on a quiet Sunday afternoon. They had spent the day gardening together, a simple yet intimate activity that allowed them to work side by side without the pressure of forced conversation. The silence between them was no longer heavy with resentment but filled with a tentative peace. As the sun dipped low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over their backyard, Jonathan wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Anna. For the first time in months, there was a softness in his eyes that she hadn’t seen since before everything went wrong. “Thank you for today,” he said quietly. “It was… nice.” Anna looked up from the flower bed she was tending, her heart fluttering at the tenderness in his voice. “I’m glad you think so. I’ve missed this… missed us.” Jonathan nodded, and for a moment, they just stood there, soaking in the late afternoon warmth and the fragile but growing sense of recon