Chapter 19 - HEALING
One year to the day after the verdict, we gathered at the cabin. Ethan. Lila. Caleb. Me.
We sat on the porch, watching the sun set over the trees. Caleb ran in the grass, chasing butterflies, laughing loud and free. No chains. No rain. No fear.
Ethan handed me a sealed envelope.
“From Vanessa,” he said. “She asked me to give it to you. Said you deserved to know.”
I opened it. Her handwriting—neat, elegant, familiar.
**DEAR ADRIAN,**
**I AM NOT ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS. I DO NOT DESERVE IT.**
**I WANTED TO GIVE YOU EVERYTHING. INSTEAD, I GAVE YOU NOTHING BUT PAIN.**
**TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR BOY. TELL HIM… TELL HIM I WAS BRAVE ONCE. AND THAT I LOVED HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD.**
**BE HAPPY, ADRIAN. YOU DESERVE IT.**
**VANESSA.**
I folded the letter. Put it in my pocket. Somewhere close—but not too close.
“She asked for nothing,” Ethan said quietly. “No visits. No contact. She said she would only hold you back.”
I watched Caleb running through the golden light. “She finally did the right thing.”
May you like
Lila placed a hand on my shoulder. “She loved you, Adrian. In her own twisted way. But love shouldn’t hurt. Love shouldn’t chain. What you have… what you built… that is the real thing.”
I nodded. I knew that.
