Chapter 10 - A New SunriseTwo years after that cold morning in the Paradise Valley kitchen, the Arizona sun was rising over Camelback Mountain, painting the sky in brilliant shades of pale gold, amber, and violet.
I stood barefoot on the warm hardwood floor of my own home—a sprawling, modern architectural masterpiece nestled against the mountainside, bought entirely with my own hard-earned sweat, intellect, and relentless determination.
Leo, now a healthy, laughing two-year-old with bright eyes and a shock of dark hair, ran into the kitchen carrying a plastic toy truck.
“Mommy! Breakfast!” he babbled, holding up a plastic banana like an offering.
I laughed, scooping him up into my arms and spinning him around the bright, sunlit kitchen as the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes filled the air.
My phone rested on the marble island, buzzing with a notification from Marcus about a major corporate merger our firm was advising on next week. I glanced at it, swiped it away, and turned my complete, undivided attention back to my son.
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The battered navy suitcase that had carried my entire life out of the Hayes estate two years ago sat on the top shelf of my walk-in closet downtown—empty, dusty, and kept there as a permanent reminder of where I had started.
I didn't need it anymore.
