As the days passed and the heat of that night gave way to cooler heads, the storm settled. The hurt didn’t vanish, but it softened at the edges. What had once seemed like a betrayal slowly revealed itself for what it was—a faultless crime. An accident born of chaos. No villains, just humans. And two families bound by a boy lost and loved.
The Harrigans came to see that the O’Haras hadn’t stolen their son—they had saved him. Raised him with tenderness, given him every chance at a life filled with love and dignity. Even James, once rigid with anger, had admitted it aloud: “If he couldn’t have been with us… I’m grateful it was you.”