Chapter 10
Six months later.
It was Mom’s birthday.
The backyard was full of people.
Maria and her family.
Elias and his wife.
Dad’s oldest friends from the construction company.
Our new employees.
The garden was decorated with white lights, strung between the oak trees.
Tables were covered with food.
Mom’s favorite lemon cake sat on the main table, covered in pink roses.
Dad stood by the grill, flipping burgers.
No cane.
No limp.
His leg was fully healed.
He laughed as Maria’s grandson chased a butterfly through the rose bushes.
I stood by the patio, holding a glass of lemonade, watching them.
The watch on my wrist glinted in the sun.
Mom’s ring sparkled on my finger.
Elias walked over, clinking his glass against mine.
“Happy birthday to Elena,” he said.
“Happy birthday,” I said.
He smiled.
“You’ve done amazing things with the company,” he said. “The hospital opens next month. The affordable housing project is halfway done. You’ve turned Hale Construction into something bigger than Richard ever imagined.”
“Dad helped,” I said.
Elias laughed.
“Richard says it’s all you,” he said. “He’s proud of you. We all are.”
He walked away to talk to one of the guests.
Dad came over, wiping his hands on his apron.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“Lots,” I said.
He looked out at the garden, at the people laughing and talking.
“Mom would have loved this,” he said.
“I know,” I said.
He took a small box from his pocket.
He opened it.
Inside was a silver key.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Remember the old lake house?” he asked. “The one Mom loved so much? The one Vivian made me sell?”
I nodded.
I remembered.
We’d spent every summer there when I was a kid.
Fishing.
Swimming.
Watching the sunset over the water.
“I bought it back,” he said. “Closed on it last week. It’s ours again. I had it renovated. New dock. New roof. All of Mom’s old furniture is still there. The realtor said the people who bought it never changed a thing.”
Tears stung my eyes.
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” he said. “It’s for you. For us. For whenever we want to get away. To remember. To be a family.”
I hugged him.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “This is the best gift ever.”
He hugged me back.
“You deserve it,” he said.
Later that night, after the guests had left, we walked out to the garden.
The moon was full.
The white lights glowed soft against the dark.
We stopped in front of Mom’s favorite rose bush.
The one she planted the day I was born.
It was covered in pink blooms, heavy with scent.
Dad put his arm around my shoulder.
We looked up at the stars.
“I miss her,” Dad said quietly.
“Me too,” I said.
“She’s here,” he said. “I can feel it. She’s proud of us, Bella. So proud.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder.
For the first time in my life, I felt completely whole.
Completely safe.
Completely loved.
Vivian and Marcus were gone.
Locked away where they could never hurt anyone again.
Justice had been served.
Our family was healed.
The company was thriving.
We had our home.
Our lake house.
Each other.
Everything we’d fought for.
Everything we’d lost.
We’d gotten it all back.
And more.
I looked at the watch on my wrist.
At the ring on my finger.
At the man beside me, stronger and happier than I’d seen him in years.
I thought of Mom.
Watching over us.
Smiling.
This was the happy ending we’d all dreamed of.
May you like
The one we’d fought so hard for.
And nothing would ever take it from us again.
