The shelter seemed to exhale all at once. Volunteers exchanged looks, tears streaming down their faces. Mia’s mother dropped to her knees beside her, a trembling hand pressed to her chest.
She hadn’t seen her daughter smile like that since the accident. A small smile, but real. A light breaking through the dark. Titan trembled as he leaned deeper into her lap, his sorrow slipping away.
The growling, pacing creature was gone. In its place was a dog who finally belonged again. «He’s never let anyone touch him before,» a volunteer whispered, stunned.
Mia rested her cheek against Titan’s head, her tears soaking into his fur. «You were waiting for someone to love you,» she murmured, «and I was waiting too.» Titan let out a deep, contented sigh and closed his eyes.
That afternoon, when Mia’s mom signed the adoption papers, no one said a word about caution or danger. Everyone just knew something unexplainable had happened. Weeks later, Titan walked proudly beside Mia’s wheelchair, matching her slow pace down their street.
Neighbors stopped and watched, their eyes wet with tears. And in that little town, everyone agreed. The day Titan met Mia was the day they both came back to life.
