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The harsh fluorescent light of the Oakhaven Springs kitchen hummed like an angry hornet, cutting through the heavy pre-dawn silence. / Chapter 20 / 20

Chapter 20 - THE HORIZON AWAITS

The morning sun rose over their new coastal home, painting the Pacific horizon in brilliant shades of gold, amber, and rose. The cottage was small, bright, and smelled of fresh pine and ocean salt instead of lemon cleaner and ash. Grace sat on the front porch swing with a cup of hot green tea, watching the gulls wheel gracefully across the sky, while Katherine walked up the wooden steps carrying a brand-new mailbox post bearing their shared surname—a name they had reclaimed through fire and blood. They didn't look back at the past, because the past was nothing more than a burned-down cabin and a closed chapter. Opening the front door to their bright, sunlit living room, Katherine placed the final box on the floor, turned to Grace with a radiant, unburdened smile, and whispered, "Welcome home, Mom."

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