Chapter 12 - A Deserved Life
We sat on the porch, drinking coffee as the sun began to set.
"Do you ever miss them?" Marcus asked quietly.
I looked out over the lawn, thinking about his question.
"I miss the idea of them," I admitted.
"But I don't miss the people they actually were."
He nodded understandingly.
"You broke a cycle, Clare. That takes a lot of strength."
"My grandfather gave me the tools," I said. "I just had to use them."
My mother's cruel words from six months ago echoed briefly in my mind.
Some people don't deserve nice things.
She had been right, in a twisted way.
She, my father, and Julia didn't deserve this beautiful home, because they only saw it as a dollar sign.
They didn't see the love built into its walls.
I took a sip of my coffee, feeling the evening breeze ruffle my hair.
I had my home.
I had my peace.
And as I looked over at Marcus, who was smiling at me in the fading light, I realized something else.
May you like
For the first time in my life, I was finally open to the beautiful things I truly deserved.
The nightmare was over, and my real life was just beginning.
