Chapter 10 - Dawn of a New Life
Three months later.
The tropical sun beat down on the crystal-clear waters of Maui. We were finally on our honeymoon, far away from the courtroom drama and the media circus that had consumed the city back home.
Arthur Vance had been convicted on all sixty-four federal charges. The judge, disgusted by the audio recordings Elise had provided, showed absolutely no mercy. Arthur was sentenced to forty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Helen had taken a plea deal for seven years to avoid trial, her reputation permanently destroyed.
I was sitting on the balcony of our oceanfront villa, sipping a cup of coffee and watching the waves crash against the shore.
The sliding glass door opened behind me.
Elise walked out, wearing a beautiful, backless sundress. The ocean breeze caught the fabric, pressing it against her skin. The scars on her back were fully visible in the morning light.
Before, she would have cowered. She would have thrown a cardigan over her shoulders or rushed to hide them.
Now, she stood tall. She walked over to the railing, turning her face toward the sun, completely unashamed. The scars were no longer a brand of ownership from a monster; they were the battle wounds of a survivor who had won the war.
She looked back at me and smiled—a radiant, unbreakable smile.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she said.
I stood up, walking over to her and wrapping my arms around her waist, kissing the side of her neck.
May you like
“It’s perfect,” I whispered, holding the woman I loved more than life itself.
The nightmare was finally over. The shadows of her past had been dragged into the searing light of justice and burned to ash. We had a long life ahead of us, and for the first time, the future belonged entirely to us.
