Chapter 10 - The Horizon of Healing
The spring of the following year brought a rare, warm sunshine to the Pacific Northwest.
The suburban house with the dark oak parquet floors had been sold. David couldn't bear to live in a place that held so many dark secrets, so many hidden lenses in the walls. Instead, he had purchased a beautiful, one-story ranch house in Bend, Oregon, surrounded by towering pine trees and mountain air.
There were no stairs, no narrow hallways, and no deadbolts on the outside of the doors.
Evelyn sat on the wide back deck, her motorized wheelchair positioned to catch the warmth of the sun. Her physical therapy had progressed wonders; she could now stand with the help of a walker, and her speech had returned to its clear, resonant tone.
David walked out onto the deck, carrying two glasses of fresh iced tea. He handed one to his mother, sitting down in the chair beside her.
"How are you feeling today, Mom?" he asked, smiling.
"I’m happy, David," Evelyn said, her eyes bright and clear as she looked out at the mountains. "I’m truly happy."
Rebecca and Marcus had both pleaded guilty to a litany of state and federal charges, including elder abuse, identity theft, grand larceny, and conspiracy. The court had ordered the complete restitution of Evelyn’s trust fund, clawing back the funds from the villa in Cabo and the Cayman accounts. Rebecca was currently serving a fifteen-year sentence at a federal correctional facility in California, while Marcus had been sentenced to twenty.
David took a sip of his tea, feeling the warm breeze against his face. The scars of the betrayal would always remain, but the silence of his home was no longer heavy or suffocating.
It was peaceful.
He looked at his mother, her hand resting over his, and realized that the dark forty-eight hours that had destroyed his marriage had also saved his family.
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They were finally free.
How do you feel about the pacing of the tension in this final chapter?
