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The apartment was deathly quiet after the front door clicked shut. My mother’s venomous parting words still hung in the air, but they were nothing compared to the cold weight settling in my chest. Savannah was in our bedroom, the door closed, likely curled up in the dark. / Chapter 19 / 20

Chapter 19 - The New Chapter Begins

That evening, after the guests had gone and the sanctuary grounds grew quiet, Savannah and I sat on the back porch of our temporary cottage overlooking the sprawling estate gardens.

The air smelled of damp earth and blooming jasmine.

Leo was fast asleep inside his crib, completely at peace in a world free of shadows and fear.

Savannah leaned her head against my shoulder, her fingers interlaced with mine.

"Do you ever think about her?" she asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the rustle of the autumn leaves. "Your mother?"

I looked out toward the horizon where the last streaks of orange sunlight were fading into the twilight.

"Sometimes," I admitted honestly. "Not with anger, and certainly not with grief. Just... with pity. She spent her entire life building walls to control everyone around her, and in the end, she locked herself in the dark."

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky.

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

"We broke the walls down," Savannah whispered, turning her face to kiss my cheek—right over the spot where my old life had ended.

"We did," I agreed, wrapping my arms tightly around her. "And we built something magnificent in its place."

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