Chapter 8
The judge sentenced Tyler to 18 years in state prison.
18 years.
He’d be in his 50s when he got out.
Marcus got 8 years for his part in the conspiracy.
My parents were fined heavily for lying under oath, and the judge issued a permanent restraining order against them—they were never allowed to contact me, Lauren, or Mason again, never allowed within 500 feet of any of our homes or the company.
If they violated it, they’d go to jail too.
Justice had been served.
But the strangest thing happened after the trial.
I didn’t feel the triumph I thought I would.
I didn’t feel happy that Tyler was in jail, that my parents were gone.
I just felt… empty.
Like a part of me was missing, even though that part had only ever hurt me.
Lauren noticed.
She found me sitting on the dock one night, a week after the sentencing, staring out at the lake, a glass of wine in my hand.
Max was lying at my feet, his big head on my paws, snoring softly.
“You okay?” she asked, sitting down beside me, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders.
I sighed, leaning my head on her shoulder.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I thought when Tyler went to jail, when it was all over, I’d feel… free. Like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. But I just feel sad. Sad that it had to come to this. Sad that my parents chose him over me. Sad that Mason has to grow up without a dad, even if his dad was a terrible person.”
Lauren was quiet for a minute, staring out at the water.
“I get it,” she said softly. “I felt the same way after the trial. I thought I’d be dancing in the streets, you know? That I’d be so happy he was gone. But instead I just cried for three days. Cried for the boy I thought I married. Cried for the life I thought we’d have. Cried for Mason, that he’ll never have a normal dad. But then I realized something.”
She turned to look at me, her eyes soft.
“Grief isn’t just for the people we love who die. It’s also for the people we love who never were. The parents we wished we had. The brother we wanted. The husband we thought we married. It’s okay to grieve them, Bridge. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. It just means you’re human.”
Tears ran down my face.
She was right.
I was grieving the family I’d always wanted, the family I’d spent my whole life trying to earn, that I’d never get to have.
The parents who would love me no matter what.
The brother who would protect me instead of hurting me.
It was okay to be sad that they didn’t exist.
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing her hand.
“Anytime,” she said, smiling. “That’s what sisters are for, right?”
I laughed, wiping my tears.
“Right.”
We sat there in silence for a while, watching the moon reflect on the water.
“Hey,” Lauren said, suddenly. “I have something to tell you. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I wanted to wait until after the trial to say anything.”
I turned to her, my eyebrows raised.
“What is it?”
“I got a job offer,” she said, grinning. “A really good one. At a big design firm in Boston. It’s a full-time position, creative director. It’s my dream job, Bridge. I’ve wanted something like this since I was in college.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Boston was two hours away.
“That’s amazing, Lauren!” I said, forcing a smile. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve it more than anyone.”
She bit her lip, looking nervous.
“There’s more,” she said. “They want me to start in a month. And… well… the pay is really good. Good enough that I can afford a nice house with a big yard for Mason and Max. And I was thinking… I don’t want to leave you here alone. I know you’re doing great, and you’re strong, and you have Sarah and Eli and Rita and everyone. But… this house is big. Too big for just one person. And I know you love the company, but you work too hard. You need someone to make you eat dinner and watch bad movies and remind you to take a break sometimes.”
She took a deep breath.
“So I was thinking… what if you come with us? Move to Boston? The company has a satellite office there, right? Eli said you could run the whole East Coast division from there if you wanted. We could get a big house together, with a yard for Max and a studio for me and a home office for you. We could be a family. For real. What do you think?”
I stared at her, my mouth open.
I’d been so scared she was going to leave me.
Instead, she was asking me to come with her.
To be a family.
For real.
Tears ran down my face again, but this time they were happy tears.
“I think that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard,” I said, throwing my arms around her, hugging her tight. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
Lauren laughed, hugging me back.
“Really?” she said, pulling back to look at me. “You mean it?”
“I mean it,” I said, grinning. “I’ve spent my whole life waiting for a family that wanted me. And now I have one. I’m not letting you go that easy.”
Mason came running out onto the dock then, Max right behind him, holding a firefly in a jar.
“Mommy! Auntie Bridge!” he yelled. “Look! I caught a magic bug! Can we keep it?”
We laughed, letting him show us the glowing bug in the jar before we made him let it go.
Max ran into the water, barking at the fish, splashing us both.
For the first time in my life, I felt completely, totally at peace.
I had a sister.
I had a nephew who loved me more than anything.
I had a big fluffy dog.
I had friends who would fight for me.
I had a company I was proud to run.
May you like
And I was going to have a new life, in a new city, with the people I loved most in the world.
What more could anyone ask for?
