The following Sunday, we attended dinner at Brenda’s house. She smiled at Leo’s shaved head and proudly commented on how much neater he looked.

Before dessert, Mark connected his laptop to the television and played the video. The room fell completely silent as everyone watched Lily’s battle and Leo’s devotion.

When the screen went dark, Mark placed a single saved curl on the table. “This,” he said, “is what you cut.”

Brenda insisted it was only hair. Mark looked at her and replied, “No. It was a promise-