She didn’t abandon him, nor did she consign him back to the unforgiving streets. Despite grappling with her own set of life’s challenges, she welcomed Divine into her home, nursed him back to health, and nurtured him as if he were her own younger brother. However, her act of profound kindness soon began to exact a heavy toll. Initially, her neighbors engaged in hushed whispers behind her back.
Her friends openly mocked her, claiming she was foolishly squandering her life on a boy who wasn’t even her flesh and blood. Then, the situation escalated, taking a far more painful turn, involving her very own family. Her mother-in-law harbored an intense dislike for Divine, and her husband grew increasingly agitated, consumed by jealousy and resentment.
One evening, Grace’s husband sat her down, his words chilling her to the bone. “If you don’t get rid of that boy,” he stated with a cold resolve, “I swear, I will poison him.” Grace froze, utterly incapable of processing what she was hearing. How could the man with whom she shared her life plot to murder the boy she had so selflessly saved? Yet, the hatred emanating from him only intensified with each passing day.
And Divine… he overheard everything. One night, while discreetly hiding near the hallway, he caught fragments of a terrifying phone conversation between Grace’s husband and his mother. The sinister plan was unmistakably clear: if Grace stubbornly refused to send Divine away, the boy would be poisoned before the week was out. That night, Divine lay wide awake, silent tears streaming down his face as the grim truth settled upon him.
His very presence, he realized with a heavy heart, was systematically tearing Grace’s life apart. She had jeopardized everything for him, but he simply could not bear to be the source of her immense pain. At four o’clock in the morning, while the rest of the household remained deep in slumber, Divine quietly rose.
He packed absolutely nothing; he had no money, no discernible plan, only an unshakeable faith guiding his steps. Stealthily, he slipped out of the house, his heart aching with every soft footfall. Before making his final departure, he gently slid a short, poignant letter into Grace’s everyday work handbag, the one she faithfully carried each morning.
It read: “Dear Sister Grace, Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me when no one else cared. I may not be your blood, but you made me feel like family. I will never, ever forget you. Please, please forgive me for leaving. I don’t want to be the reason you lose your husband, your home, or your happiness. I will survive.
I will find my way. And one day, I truly hope you’ll be proud of me. With all my love, Divine.” When Grace discovered the letter later that very morning, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably. The words of heartfelt gratitude, profound love, and sorrowful farewell pierced her heart like a sharp knife. She broke down in a torrent of tears, calling out his name frantically, rushing wildly in every direction, desperate to find him. But Divine was gone, vanished into the vast unknown…
