Chapter 42 - Ash and Smoke
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I carried the unopened envelope straight out the back door and onto the patio, the warm evening air wrapping around me like a comforting blanket. Marcus followed closely behind me, completely silent, offering his steady presence without pushing me to explain.
I walked directly over to the large stone fire pit situated in the center of our manicured garden. It was filled with the charred, leftover wood from a barbecue we had hosted a few nights prior.
"He probably wrote pages of manipulative apologies," I said aloud, staring down at the cheap white paper. "Or maybe he’s trying to play the victim again. Trying to guilt me into putting money in his commissary account. He always believed he could talk his way out of absolutely any consequence."
"He doesn't have a voice in your life anymore, Rachel," Marcus reminded me gently, standing solidly by my side. "His words have absolutely zero power over you."
"I know," I said, a deep sense of absolute peace settling over my soul.
I didn't even tear the envelope open. I didn't need to read a single toxic word he had written. I struck a long wooden match against the stone edge of the fire pit. It flared to life, a brilliant, hot yellow flame pushing back the twilight shadows.
I held the corner of the envelope directly to the fire. The cheap paper caught instantly, curling and blackening as the flames eagerly devoured it. When the fire threatened to singe my fingertips, I dropped the burning letter onto the charred logs.
Marcus and I stood shoulder to shoulder in the quiet garden, watching intently as Daniel's final, desperate attempt at manipulation turned completely into gray ash and vanished into the evening wind.
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"It's finally gone," I whispered.
"It’s gone," Marcus agreed, wrapping his arm securely around me. "Come inside, my love. It's time for dinner."
