“So now girls come here and learn theirs matters too.”
That sentence was worth more than thirty-two million dollars.
Worth more than Riverside.
Worth more than every account Charles had ever hidden.
Because somewhere along the way, Emily had stopped watching doors, waiting for someone to choose her.
She knew her worth.
Grace knew hers.
And finally, so did I.
That evening, after everyone left, Adrian and I walked through the quiet courtyard.
Children’s chalk drawings covered the pavement.
One showed a yellow house.
Another showed a dragon.
One simply said HOME.
Adrian squeezed my hand.
“Any regrets?”
I thought about Daniel.
The divorce.
Vanessa.
The envelope.
The money.
The lies.
London.
Anna.
Lucas.
The wedding.
Everything.
“Yes.”
Adrian looked surprised.
“What?”
“I regret how long I believed losing someone meant losing myself.”
He smiled.
“And now?”
I looked through the windows of the homes my family had built from the ruins of secrets.
