Chapter 7 - Reclaiming the Peace
When I unlocked the front door, the familiar scent of lemon cleaner and peanut butter welcomed me home.
Eli came running down the hallway as fast as his little legs could carry him, crashing straight into my uniform knees with a joyful squeal.
“Mommy! You’re home early!”
I scooped him up into my arms, burying my face in his soft hair, breathing in his scent of shampoo and playground dirt. All the stress, the legal briefings, the federal warrants, and the betrayal evaporated into thin air.
“I’m home, buddy,” I whispered, holding him tight. “And guess what?”
“What?”
“We never have to worry about anyone bothering us again. And we are going to the park right now.”
His blue eyes widened in pure excitement. “Can I bring my red soccer ball?!”
“Your red soccer ball, your plastic dinosaurs, and anything else you want.”
For the next hour, the world outside didn't exist. There were no investigators, no fraudulent reports, no scheming relatives, and no courtrooms. There was only a green soccer field, a laughing five-year-old boy, and a mother who had fought the battle of her life—and won.
When we got back home just as twilight settled over the neighborhood, my phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.
May you like
It was an automated message from the local detention center confirming that Monica’s bail request had been formally denied due to flight risk and the interstate nature of the federal charges against her.
I placed the phone face down on the counter, walked over to the stove, and started heating up water for macaroni and cheese.
