Chapter 39 - The Toast
They sat around the large dining table, the candlelight flickering warmly across their faces.
Arthur stood up, holding a glass of sparkling cider.
"I am not a man for long speeches,"
Arthur began, looking at his daughter, and then at Sarah.
"But the last few years have taught me that the foundation of a family isn't built on genetics, and it certainly isn't built on lies."
Chloe smiled, her green eyes shining with absolute, perfect clarity.
"It is built on the people who stay in the room when the house is on fire,"
Arthur continued, raising his glass higher.
"To surviving the fire. And to building something infinitely better from the ashes."
May you like
"To the ashes,"
Chloe echoed proudly, clinking her glass against his.
