Chapter 35
That evening, I returned to the Georgian house. The recovery center was quiet, the residents having retreated to their rooms for the night. The autumn air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of fallen leaves.
I walked through the bright hallway, past the renovated kitchen, and out the glass doors toward the rear garden.
My mother was sitting on a wooden bench beneath the large oak tree, a thick blanket draped over her lap. The security lights illuminated the garden in a soft, warm glow. There were no shadows left to hide in.
I carried the silver briefcase—the empty shell of the Apex Key—and set it on the grass beside the bench.
"You brought it back," Evelyn noted, looking at the metal case.
"Hannah completely wiped the internal drive," I said, sitting down beside her. "It’s just an empty piece of hardware now. I thought we should bury it here. Under the tree. Where the surveillance cameras used to be."
My mother smiled, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "A fitting graveyard for a monster."
Together, using a small garden trowel, we dug a shallow hole near the roots of the ancient oak. I placed the silver briefcase into the dark earth, covering it with dirt and pressing the grass back into place.
It wasn't a grand ceremony. There were no speeches or reporters. It was simply the quiet burial of the past.
I stood up, brushing the dirt from my hands. I looked at the house. The windows glowed with warm, yellow light. It was no longer a prison, no longer a monument to Adrian Vale's cruelty or my father's guilt. It was a place of healing, a sanctuary built on the truth.
"Are you okay?" my mother asked softly, watching my face.
May you like
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool night air. The heavy, invisible armor I had worn for years finally felt unnecessary.
"Yeah," I said, turning to look at her, a profound sense of peace finally settling into my bones. "I think we're going to be just fine."
