Chapter 19 - The New Dawn
One year later.
The morning sun filtered through the high glass windows of my coastal estate. The air smelled of sweet ocean salt and fresh flowers. In the sprawling green yard, Leo and Arthur were taking their very first wobbly steps across the grass, giggling hysterically as my father walked beside them, holding their tiny hands with boundless pride.
I sat on the patio terrace, sipping warm tea while reviewing the annual report for the Vance Maternal Health Foundation. Across the country, our mobile emergency units—the very same kind of high-tech vehicles that had saved my life—had already rescued over three hundred mothers in critical condition.
Marcus approached the terrace, holding a secure tablet. "Good morning, Miss Vance. The quarterly updates from the state corrections department have arrived."
"How are they?" I asked calmly, without turning my head.
"Deborah's appeal was rejected instantly," Marcus reported. "She has been reassigned to maximum security after multiple altercations with other inmates. Travis remains in solitary protection; he spends his days working in the prison library, refusing all visitors."
May you like
I nodded slowly, closing the report on my desk. "Good. Let them remain where they belong—in the dark."
I stood up, walking down the stone steps into the sunlit garden. Leo stumbled toward me, his little arms reaching up, while Arthur let out a joyous babble, kicking his legs in my father's arms. I picked Leo up, kissing his soft cheek, feeling his little heart beating steady and strong against my chest.
