My brother Auren disappeared at 16. We searched for years but lost hope. My best friend Maris suddenly moved away and seemed distant. During a surprise visit, I found a photo of her with a young man who looked exactly like Auren.
Suspicious, I investigated and discovered Maris had secretly been helping Auren hide. He’d run away to escape a difficult home life after our mom died and our dad fell into drinking. Maris kept his secret to protect me.
Eventually, I found Auren working at a bookstore in a nearby town. We reunited with tears and began slowly rebuilding our relationship.
As for Maris, our friendship changed—scarred but not broken.
I learned sometimes people leave because they don’t know how to stay, and forgiveness is how we move forward.
