Chapter 10 - THE WARMTH OF HOME
A year passed.
The cold, sterile apartment in the city was gone. I used my savings and my new nursing promotion to buy a beautiful, cozy house in the suburbs. It had a big backyard surrounded by a tall wooden fence, a tire swing, and a garden.
There were no terraces. There were no heavy glass doors.
It was a Sunday afternoon, exactly one year since the nightmare. The sun was shining, casting a warm golden glow over the grass.
I was sitting on the porch, drinking iced tea, watching Lily run through the sprinklers. She was five now. She was laughing, shrieking with joy as the cold water splashed over her, her new golden retriever puppy chasing closely behind her.
She wasn't scared of the cold anymore. She knew that in this house, she was safe.
She ran up to the porch, completely soaked, her curls plastered to her forehead, and threw her arms around my neck.
"I love you, Mommy," she smiled.
May you like
I held her tightly against my chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of her little heart. The monsters were gone. The doors were unlocked.
"I love you too, sweetie," I whispered. "Forever."
