Chapter 7 - THE AWAKENING
Weeks passed, and the estate was quiet once more, but it was a different kind of quiet. It was the silence of healing. Nathan’s recovery, which had been stalled by Grant’s poison, accelerated. With the neurotoxins out of his system, his physical therapy began to show real results.
He didn't walk overnight, but he began to regain feeling in his legs. The doctors were baffled, but Nathan knew the truth: his will to walk was fueled by the desire to stand beside the woman who had saved him and the little girl who had given him a reason to live.
One morning, Nathan sat on the terrace, watching Lucy chase butterflies across the lawn. Hannah stood beside him, watching with him.
“I’m going to have to testify,” Nathan said, his hand resting on hers. “It won’t be easy.”
“We’ll be there with you,” Hannah said. “Every step of the way.”
Nathan looked at her, truly looking at her. He realized he had spent his life surrounded by people who wanted something from him, but Hannah wanted nothing but his happiness.
“You know,” he whispered, “I asked Lucy if she would be my daughter for one day.”
Hannah smiled. “I remember.”
“I’d like to change that.”
Hannah looked at him, her eyes searching his. “Change it how?”
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“I’d like it to be for the rest of our lives.”
Hannah’s smile deepened, a radiant, beautiful expression that made the world seem brighter. “I think she’d like that very much.”
