Chapter 7 - The Coastal Sun
Springtime in Maine is a quiet, beautiful thing. The harsh winter frost melts away, leaving behind fields of vibrant green grass and a salty, crisp breeze blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean.
I stood on the wraparound porch of the sprawling, beautiful coastal home I had purchased three months ago. It was miles away from the affluent, toxic suburbs of Connecticut. There were no strict HOAs here. No neighborhood watch signs. Just acres of pine trees, the sound of crashing waves, and peace.
Down in the massive backyard, Leo was running full speed across the grass, kicking a soccer ball with a golden retriever puppy we had adopted from a local shelter. The dog, a clumsy, happy mess of fur named Barnaby, was currently losing the game.
Leo was thriving. At nine years old, the shadows that had haunted his eyes for the past year had completely vanished. He was doing excellent in his new school, he had made friends, and most importantly, he felt safe. He knew that the doors of this house were locked tight, and the monsters were locked far, far away.
I took a sip of my coffee, pulling my cardigan tighter around my shoulders.
I was nineteen now. I was managing the trust with the help of Mr. Sterling, learning the ins and outs of corporate finance, and taking online college courses in pre-law. I wanted to be an attorney. I wanted to be the person who stood up for the victims who couldn't stand up for themselves, just like my dad did.
The monsters don't always hide in the woods. Sometimes they sleep right down the hall. Sometimes they bake cookies, wear expensive perfume, and smile at the PTA meetings. But I had learned the most valuable lesson of all: monsters are not invincible. They are arrogant, they are sloppy, and they always underestimate the people they are trying to destroy.
My phone buzzed on the patio table. It was a text from Detective Vance, just checking in. He did that every few months, making sure Leo and I were doing okay.
Just saw the news, the text read. Trent Miller’s appeal was denied. He’s doing the full twenty years. And your mother was transferred to a maximum-security facility upstate. Hope you’re enjoying the ocean.
I smiled, typing back a quick reply. The ocean is beautiful, Detective. We're exactly where we're supposed to be.
I set the phone down and walked down the wooden porch steps, the damp spring grass cool against my bare feet. Leo saw me coming and kicked the soccer ball in my direction. I trapped it perfectly under my foot, grinning down at him.
"You ready to lose, kiddo?" I teased.
Leo laughed, a bright, uninhibited sound that echoed through the trees. "No way! Barnaby is on my team!"
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I looked back at the house, at the life I had built out of the ashes of a nightmare. We had survived the darkest, most terrifying chapter of our lives. We had outsmarted the devil in a maternity blouse. And now, we had the rest of our lives to live in the light.
I kicked the ball back to my little brother, the coastal sun warming my face, and for the first time in my life, I knew that everything was going to be perfectly, wonderfully okay.
