I reconnected with the parent who left and it cracked open a grief I had buried for years

After a decade of silence, they reached out. Coffee, careful words, an apology that was smaller than the wound. Part of me wanted to scream, part of me wanted to climb into their lap like a kid. I don't know if I'm building a bridge or reopening a door I sealed for good reasons. How do you forgive without erasing what happened?