Chapter 10 - The Aftermath
Six months later, I stood in front of my childhood home one last time.
The bank had foreclosed on it, and a large "For Sale" sign was jammed into the overgrown front lawn.
The windows were dark, the happy facade completely stripped away.
I hadn't spoken to my parents since the day they were arrested in the hallway.
They tried to call from prison, but I blocked their numbers, unable to reconcile the monsters they were with the parents I loved.
David Thorne made a full recovery and had sent me a heartfelt letter thanking me for giving him a second chance at life.
I was transferring to a new college on the West Coast, ready to start over in a place where no one knew my last name.
I walked up to the front porch and placed the old key ring on the welcome mat.
I didn't need these keys anymore, and I didn't want the memories they unlocked.
I turned around, walked back to my packed car, and didn't look back once.
May you like
As I drove out of Ohio, the sun broke through the clouds, warm and bright.
For the first time in my life, the path ahead was completely unknown, but it was finally mine.
