Chapter 19
Chapter 20: The Endless Horizon
The graduation ceremony was beautiful. We cheered until our throats were sore as Grace walked across the stage to receive her diploma.
Later that evening, after the celebrations had wound down and Alex had gone home, the house settled into a deep, peaceful quiet. Grace was upstairs, packing a few last-minute things for a celebratory road trip with her friends the next morning.
I walked out onto the back porch.
The oak tree was massive now, its thick branches spreading wide, offering shade and protection to the entire yard. The yellow door behind me was sturdy and bright.
Elias walked out and stood beside me. He didn't say anything. He just wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close against his side. I rested my head on his shoulder.
The stars above us were brilliant and clear.
The story of my survival was over. It had been over for a very long time. The girl who had cowered on the marble floor was a memory. The woman who had fought in the courtroom was a legend.
But the woman standing on the porch, wrapped in the arms of a man who loved her fiercely and gently, was simply alive.
There were no more monsters to defeat. There were no more walls to tear down.
May you like
I looked up at the endless, starlit horizon.
The dawn had broken years ago. And the light was here to stay.
