I walked into the interview for my dream job, confident and excited — until I saw who was leading it. My heart dropped. The last person I ever wanted to see was sitting there: my estranged mother, Linda.Becoming an architect had always been my dream, inspired by my father, who passed away just before my graduation. After years away, I returned to my hometown, hoping to work at the firm where he once thrived.

The night before the interview, I couldn’t sleep, nerves keeping me up. I woke up on the floor, rushed to get ready, and made it to the office just in time. Memories flooded back as I waited to be called.Then I heard a familiar voice call my name.When I walked in and saw my mother — the woman I blamed for my father’s death — I exploded. I hadn’t spoken to her since the funeral. I believed she had betrayed my father, causing him to die alone. Now she sat before me, working in HR at the very company he loved.

The confrontation was raw. I accused her of everything — infidelity, abandonment, killing his spirit. She insisted it wasn’t what I thought. She claimed they’d been separated, that Dad had cheated first, and they had tried to protect me from the truth. I didn’t believe a word — until she showed me divorce papers dated months before his death.I was stunned. Maybe I hadn’t known the full story.Linda offered me the job anyway, believing in me despite everything. I didn’t know what to do. For years, I chased a dream that might have been more my father’s than mine.Still unsure, I told her I’d think about it.As she left, I quietly said, “Thank you… Mom.”