Chapter 10 - Light in the Dark
That evening, after the crowds had cleared and the center was quiet, I walked slowly through the long, sunlit hallways alone.
I stopped in front of the main courtyard garden. At the center of the garden stood a beautiful marble statue of my mother, surrounded by blooming white roses and warm amber lanterns that lit up the twilight.
I walked over to the bench beside the statue, sitting down quietly on the smooth stone.
The cool evening breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the soft scent of fresh flowers.
I pulled out my pocket watch—an old silver watch that had belonged to my mother, which Ethan had recovered from her house after she passed away.
I opened the latch. Inside was a small photograph of my mother smiling brightly on a summer afternoon, her eyes filled with gentle warmth and endless love.
"I did it, Mom," I whispered softly, touching the glass over her photo. "I kept my promise."
I closed the watch and held it tightly against my chest.
There were no more dark closets, no more locked doors, no more fearful nights spent waiting for an angry footstep in the hallway.
I had faced the monsters who tried to break me, stripped them of their power, and reclaimed my dignity, my fortune, and my freedom.
May you like
I stood up from the bench, taking a deep, clean breath of the fresh night air.
I turned away from the garden and walked out toward the front doors of the center, stepping out into the bright, beautiful light of a brand-new day—safe, whole, triumphant, and completely free.
