Chapter 10 - What We Kept Safe
Three months later, we moved into a new house.
It wasn’t as big as the old penthouse, but it had a garden, a view of the city, and — most importantly — no ghosts.
Sofia was back in school and smiling more every day. She still had nightmares sometimes, but they came less often. Alexander came over twice a week for dinner. Sometimes he stayed late to help her with homework. Sometimes we just sat on the back porch and talked about nothing important.
It wasn’t the life we used to have.
But it was better.
One evening, as the sun went down, Sofia came out onto the porch holding something in her hand.
It was the small locket Alexander had given her when she was born. She had started wearing it again after the attack.
She sat between us on the swing.
“I want to say something,” she said.
We both looked at her.
Sofia took a breath. “I know you guys aren’t getting back together. And that’s okay. But I just want you to know… I feel safe now. For the first time in a long time. And that’s because of both of you.”
Alexander reached over and gently touched her hair.
“You’ll always be safe,” he said. “No matter what.”
I took her free hand and squeezed it.
Sofia smiled and leaned her head against my shoulder.
Above us, the sky turned from orange to deep blue.
And for the first time since that terrible night in the penthouse, I believed her.
We had lost a lot.
May you like
But we had kept what mattered most.
Each other.
