Chapter 15 - The Asheville Reunion
By Saturday evening, the sun had dipped behind the Blue Ridge Mountains, painting the sky in strokes of amber and violet.
My front porch was decorated with string lights, and the smell of roasted chicken and fresh rosemary drifted out through the screen door. My porch swing creaked rhythmically as Allison sat beside me, sipping a mug of hot cider.
She looked different. The shadows under her eyes were gone. Her posture was relaxed, and she wore a simple woolen sweater that actually fit her personality, rather than the expensive, suffocating designer dresses Derek used to force her into.
"Mom," Allison said quietly, looking out over the garden where my hydrangeas were blooming in the twilight. "Eleanor called me today."
I paused, holding my mug halfway to my lips. "Did she?"
"She apologized," Allison said, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "Not just for Derek, but for the way she treated me during our marriage. She said she's moving into a small apartment near her husband's new job, and they're trying to figure out how to live a normal life again."
"People can change, Allison," I said gently. "Sometimes it just takes hitting rock bottom to realize you've been digging the hole yourself."
"I know," she whispered, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I'm just glad I woke up before I hit the bottom with him."
We sat in comfortable silence for a long time, listening to the crickets chirping in the tall grass at the edge of the property.
My phone buzzed on the small wicker table beside us. It was a text message from Arthur Vance: Apex Capital quarterly audit complete. The Sanctuary has protected 120 individuals this month alone. All accounts balanced.
I glanced down at the screen, then turned it off, sliding the phone back into my pocket.
The past three months felt like a lifetime. From a cold marble floor in Myers Park to a quiet porch in Asheville, my world had been completely upended—not by destruction, but by truth.
Derek had tried to reduce me to a piece of furniture, a burden to be shoved aside. But in doing so, he had unsealed a legacy that stretched far beyond what he could ever comprehend.
"Mom?" Allison asked softly.
"Yes, honey?"
"What should we cook for dinner tomorrow?"
May you like
I smiled, looking out at the mountains standing strong and unshakable against the night sky.
"Whatever you want, Allison," I said, squeezing her hand. "Just as long as we make it together."
