Chapter 9 - The Promise
The first anniversary of the night at Boston Mercy was quiet. They spent it at the beach, watching the waves.
Nathan sat on the sand, Buster the dog curled at his feet, and Lily beside him. She was older now, taller, more confident. She didn't talk much about the hospital. They had both agreed that the past was a room they were no longer living in.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Do you ever think about her?"
Nathan knew who she meant.
"Sometimes," he said. "But not in the way you think. I don't think about the cruelty. I think about how much I learned from it."
"What did you learn?"
"That money can buy you a lot of things," Nathan said, looking out at the horizon. "It can buy you power, it can buy you influence, and it can buy you a lot of false friends. But it can't buy you the truth. And the truth is the only thing that’s ever worth anything."
Lily nodded, satisfied. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad you came back that night," she said.
"I'm glad I did, too," he whispered.
May you like
The wind blew around them, carrying the scent of salt and freedom. He knew the world would always have people like Victoria. He knew that the darkness would always exist. But he also knew that he was no longer afraid of it.
Because as long as they had each other, they would always have the light.
