Chapter 10
One year later.
The sun was setting over the backyard.
Pink and orange streaked the sky.
I was sitting on the porch swing, watching Lila play in the yard.
She was eleven now.
Her hair was longer.
She was taller.
She was the captain of her soccer team.
She got straight A’s in school.
She still had nightmares sometimes.
But they were fewer now.
And when she had them, she knew she could crawl into bed with me and Clara, and we’d hold her until she fell back asleep.
She was safe.
She was loved.
She was home.
Clara walked out of the house, carrying two glasses of iced tea.
She sat down next to me on the swing.
Her wedding ring glinted in the sunset.
We’d gotten married six months before.
A small ceremony in the backyard.
Lila was the flower girl.
Mrs. Hale was the matron of honor.
Marcus was the best man.
It was perfect.
No drama.
No lies.
Just love.
Clara leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked.
I smiled.
“I was just thinking about that day. By the gate. When Lila grabbed my arm.”
Clara nodded.
“Crazy how one small moment can change your whole life,” she said.
“Tell me about it,” I said.
I looked out at the yard.
Lila was teaching Mrs. Hale how to do a cartwheel.
Mrs. Hale was trying, but she was mostly just falling over, laughing.
Marcus and Tom were grilling burgers for dinner.
Their wives were sitting at the picnic table, talking.
Everyone I loved was right there.
Safe.
Happy.
A year ago, I’d thought my life was over.
I’d thought I’d lost everything.
My wife.
My home.
My trust in people.
But I’d been wrong.
I hadn’t lost anything.
I’d gained everything.
A daughter who was braver than anyone I knew.
A wife who loved me for me.
A family that was real.
Olivia was still in prison.
She’d appealed her sentence twice.
Both times, she’d lost.
She’d be there for a very long time.
Justice had been served.
But the best justice wasn’t her being behind bars.
It was this.
This life.
This love.
This happiness.
That was the best revenge I could ever get.
Lila ran over to the porch, breathless.
“Dad! Mom! Grandma Hale almost did a cartwheel! Come see!”
I laughed and stood up.
Clara took my hand.
We walked down the steps into the yard.
Lila grabbed my other hand.
She swung our arms as we walked.
For a second, I closed my eyes.
I breathed in the smell of grilled burgers and cut grass.
I felt Lila’s small hand in mine.
Clara’s hand in the other.
I felt the warm sun on my face.
And I knew.
I was completely safe.
Completely loved.
Completely at peace.
Everything I’d ever wanted.
Everything I’d ever needed.
It was all right here.
Right in front of me.
I opened my eyes.
Lila was looking up at me, grinning.
“Race you to the treehouse!” she yelled.
She took off before I could answer.
Clara laughed and squeezed my hand.
“You gonna let her beat you?” she asked.
I grinned.
“Not a chance.”
I took off after Lila.
Clara followed, laughing.
Behind us, the sun dipped below the horizon.
The first stars came out.
May you like
And for the first time in my life, I knew.
This was forever.
