Page 69 of All That Was Stolen
"Yes."
He smiled. "Good. Let's go."
Mary opened the door before we even knocked. Her face lit up; she looked younger. Standing right behind her was Marcus. He wore a linen shirt and a relaxed smile. He and Mary had been living together for six months. It turned out that in the process of helping me, they had found something in each other. I was happy for them.
Our eyes met for a brief, heavy second. I didn’t know if Arthur, Ava, Caspian and Olivia were at the bottom of the ocean or simply erased from existence. I just knew they were gone. The warrants were still active, and no cops had come knocking. I wasat peace. One day I planned to tell Killian what I'd done, but in the very distance future.
"Hand me the baby," Mary ordered.
I handed over my daughter—Celeste. Grandpa Silas had suggested the name. He got to see her born and spoil her for a month before he passed.
"She looks just like you," Mary said, her voice thick with emotion. "Same eyes. Same mouth."
"Let's hope she’s luckier than me," I said.
Mary looked up at me. "She's got you, baby. That's better than luck."
Killian stepped up and squeezed my shoulder, anchoring me.
I still have days where the silence of a room gets too loud. I still have nights where I wake up screaming, thinking I’m back in that attic. But I also have so many more good days. Because I found family.
Found family isn't a fairy tale, though. It’s a reconstruction project. It’s helping someone pick up the jagged pieces someone else broke and deciding they’re beautiful enough to make something new out of. I appreciated the people in my life who’d done that for me.
I’m still not ready for everything.
Marriage.
Forgiveness.
All of it.
But I am ready to be happy. And I was so close.
Meet Elara And Julian for the first time in...
