Chapter 10 - The Promise of Tomorrow
That night, after the sun had set behind the mountains and the stars had filled the deep purple velvet sky, I walked into Clara’s bedroom.
The room was painted a soft sage green, decorated with floating wooden shelves filled with children’s books, framed butterfly specimens, and glowing nightlights shaped like small stars.
Clara was tucked beneath her soft cotton duvet, her tiny hand clutching a plush yellow duck. Her dark eyelashes rested against her rosy cheeks as her chest rose and fell in a slow, peaceful sleep.
I sat on the edge of her bed, reaching out to gently brush a stray lock of dark hair from her forehead.
I remembered the cold, dark bathroom at Sterling Ridge Estate. I remembered the wet marble floor, the sharp terror of premature labor, and the cruel click of the lock as the people who were supposed to protect me walked away to cut a wedding cake.
They thought they had trapped me in the dark.
They never understood that the dark was where I worked best.
I leaned down and pressed a long, soft kiss against my daughter's forehead.
"You are safe, my little star," I whispered into the quiet room. "No one will ever lock us away again. No one will ever silence your voice. Your life belongs to you, clean, free, and beautiful."
Clara stirred slightly in her sleep, a tiny, peaceful smile touching her lips as she snuggled deeper into her blanket.
I stood up, walked to the window, and looked out into the quiet, starlit night.
May you like
The house was warm. The doors were unlocked from the inside, open to the world, and protected by the unbreakable power of truth.
I closed the bedroom door softly behind me, stepping into the bright, warm hallway of my home, ready for every tomorrow that waited ahead.
