Chapter 15 - STANDING IN THE LIGHT
Two years after the trial, I stood on the sunny front porch of our new home, a peaceful craftsman-style house surrounded by tall oak trees and blooming hydrangeas. There were no hidden cameras needed for paranoia, no chairs wedged beneath doorknobs, and no fear of sudden knocks on the door. My leg still occasionally ached from the old injuries, but it no longer defined my movement.
Josie pulled up in her car, stepping out with a bright, genuine smile to join us for Sunday barbecue. We sat together on the deck, laughing over old memories that we had successfully reclaimed from the darkness. I took a slow sip of iced tea, feeling the warm sunlight wrap around my shoulders like a safe, enduring embrace. The woman in the cream suit was gone, locked away where she could never reach us again, leaving us standing entirely in our own brilliant, unobstructed light.
