Or the shares.
Or the money.
It was the freedom to stop living in fear.
Chapter 12: The Day I Finally Let Go
On Amelia’s second birthday, I hosted a small party in our backyard.
There were pink balloons, a strawberry cake, and a dozen children running through the grass.
My daughter wore a yellow dress with tiny white flowers.
She had Lucas’s eyes.
His smile.
And his remarkable ability to turn an ordinary afternoon into chaos.
At one point, she climbed onto my lap and pointed toward the framed photograph on the patio table.
“Daddy.”
I kissed her forehead.
“Yes, sweetheart. That’s Daddy.”
She smiled at the picture.
Then she reached for another piece of cake.
Life had continued.
Not because grief disappeared.
But because love remained.
That evening, after the guests left, I received an envelope forwarded through Samantha’s office.
It was from Charles.
He was serving his sentence.
