Chapter 10 - The New Dawn
Eleanor’s instincts were completely correct. The FBI investigated Caleb’s phone call. It turned out he had been bragging to other inmates about his "wealthy ex-wife" and trying to hire someone on the outside to scare me.
Because he used the prison phone system to issue a threat and attempt extortion, federal prosecutors tacked an additional five years onto his sentence, moving him to a maximum-security facility with zero outside communication privileges.
His attempt to break me only ended up burying him deeper. The phantom threat dissolved into nothing.
Three years passed since the day of the car crash.
It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning. I stood in the kitchen, flipping pancakes on the stove while 90s pop music played from a portable speaker. Emma, now ten years old, was sitting at the island, covered in flour, trying to teach my new rescue dog, a golden retriever named Barnaby, how to balance a treat on his nose.
“Mom, he’s not doing it,” Emma laughed as Barnaby happily gobbled the treat off the floor for the fifth time.
“He’s a dog, Em, not a circus performer,” I smiled, sliding a stack of pancakes onto a plate. “Eat up. Maya is coming over soon, and we’re going hiking at Cedar Ridge.”
“Are you sure you can hike the big trail?” Emma asked, her big brown eyes looking at my legs with a hint of concern.
I looked down at my bare legs. The scars from the casts and surgeries were faded, thin white lines crisscrossing my shins. They were my battle scars.
“I can do anything, sweetie,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “Trust me.”
Later that afternoon, the three of us—Maya, Emma, and I—stood at the summit of Cedar Ridge. The wind whipped through my hair, bringing with it the scent of pine and freedom.
I looked out over the sprawling valley below, the autumn leaves painting the world in brilliant shades of gold and crimson. My legs ached slightly from the climb, but it was a good ache. The ache of life, of movement, of moving forward.
I thought back to that cramped, antiseptic-smelling hospital room. I thought of the heart monitor, the heavy casts, and the cruel grip of a man who thought I was nothing more than an inconvenience.
He had demanded I get out of bed. He had demanded I bow to his will.
I had said no.
And in that single syllable, I had found the strength to rebuild my entire universe.
Emma ran up to me, throwing her arms around my waist, nearly knocking me off balance. I caught her, holding her tight against my chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of her heart against mine.
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“Look at that view, Mommy,” she whispered in awe.
“I see it,” I smiled, resting my chin on her head, knowing that the best days of our lives were stretched out endlessly before us. “It’s beautiful.”
