Chapter 20 - The Home by the Sea
Six months later, bright, warm morning light filled the kitchen of our new, significantly smaller home nestled on a quiet cliff by the sea.
I stood by the counter, brewing fresh coffee, listening to the gentle sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks outside. Elena sat in a comfortable armchair by the large bay window. Our newborn son was sleeping peacefully, his tiny head resting securely against her chest.
She was incredibly healthy, her laughter returning to fill the rooms. She was barefoot, completely by choice, her toes tapping happily against the warm wood floor.
A courier arrived at the front door, handing me a thick, certified envelope. I signed for it and brought it into the kitchen. It was the final restitution notice from the court. Every single stolen dollar had been legally recovered and returned to the trust.
Elena glanced up, noticing the official seal on the envelope.
"Do you want to open it?" she asked softly, her eyes entirely free of fear.
I looked at the envelope, then looked at my beautiful wife and my sleeping son.
I walked over to the kitchen desk, opened the bottom drawer, and tossed the envelope inside, completely unopened.
May you like
"No," I said, leaning down to kiss my son’s warm head, then pressing a lingering kiss to Elena’s lips. "They don’t live here anymore."
Outside the window, the morning tide rolled in, washing over the sand and erasing every single old footprint, leaving the shore perfectly clean and ready for a new day.
