Chapter 12 - Coming Home
Four days after I returned, the doctors finally discharged Elena.
I pulled the Jeep up to the front doors of the estate. The snow had melted, leaving the driveway clear and dry. The pile of black trash bags was gone.
I walked around to the passenger side, unbuckled Elena’s seatbelt, and scooped her up into my arms.
“Marcus, I can walk,” she laughed softly, burying her face in my neck.
“Not a chance,” I smiled, carrying her up the steps and through the grand front doors.
The house felt different. The oppressive, suffocating weight of my mother’s presence was entirely gone. The air felt lighter. I carried Elena upstairs and gently laid her down on the massive king-sized bed in the master suite—the room my mother had illegally occupied, now thoroughly cleaned and reclaimed for us.
“It’s so quiet,” Elena whispered, looking around the room.
“It’s ours,” I said, sitting beside her and taking her hand. “Thomas finalized the eviction paperwork. The locks are changed. The security system is upgraded. Nobody gets past that gate without my permission.”
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Elena looked at me, her eyes filling with tears, but this time they were tears of profound relief. “You saved me, Marcus. I was so scared you would take their side.”
“I will always take your side,” I promised, kissing her gently. “Forever.”
