Chapter 10 - Epilogue – The Road AheadSix months later.
The sun was shining brightly over the winding asphalt of Route 9, casting long, golden afternoon beams across the cliffside overlook where my car had plunged into the ravine.
I stood beside the passenger door of our car, leaning lightly against the frame as I watched the waves crashing against the rocks far below. My ribs had healed, the wrist brace was long gone, and the nightmares of crashing headlights and freezing lake water had finally stopped visiting my sleep.
The front page of the morning paper rested on the hood of the car: HOLLOWAY ESTATE SEIZED BY STATE; FORMER DOCTOR AND FUGITIVE BROTHER CONVICTED IN MULTI-MILLION FRAUD AND COVER-UP.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel behind me.
Mara walked up, holding two paper cups of coffee from the diner down the road. She handed one to me, her fingers brushing mine, flashing a simple, silver band resting securely on her left ring finger.
Not a cheap prop from nine years ago. A real one.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, leaning against the car beside me and looking out at the endless horizon.
I took a sip of the coffee, feeling the warm, familiar comforting heat spread through my chest, and smiled down at the woman who had fought through hell to bring me back to the light.
“I was just thinking,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her close against my side. “Next time we take a road trip, let’s pick a destination where the GPS doesn't involve a conspiracy.”
May you like
Mara laughed, leaning her head against my shoulder as we watched the sun dip slowly toward the Pacific, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold and red.
“Deal,” she whispered. “As long as we’re driving together.”
