Chapter 13 - Ethan Came Home
Four years became three for cooperation and good behavior.
Ethan walked out of prison on a cold March morning.
Serena waited.
So did Lena and Mara.
Cade remained near the car.
Ethan hugged his daughters.
Lena cried.
Mara refused to let go.
Then he looked at Serena.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
No dramatic embrace.
No instant reunion.
They went to breakfast.
Ethan moved into a small apartment.
Got a job repairing industrial systems.
Attended family counseling.
Serena did not resume the marriage.
Not yet.
Months later, she asked him to dinner.
Then another.
Healing did not happen like a movie.
It happened through repeated proof.
Showing up.
Being on time.
Telling the truth.
Eventually, Serena took off the necklace holding her old wedding ring.
She handed it to Ethan.
His face fell.
Then she said:
“If we ever do this again, I want a new one.”
Hope entered his eyes.
“Does that mean—”
“It means buy dinner first.”
He laughed.
May you like
Cade approved.
Reluctantly.
