Chapter 10 - The Unbroken Queen
The evening sun cast long, golden rays across the manicured lawn of our estate.
I stepped out onto the wide front porch, holding Maya in one arm while Owen and Lily ran around the front yard chasing a red rubber ball. The neighborhood was quiet, peaceful, and entirely safe.
My sister stepped onto the porch holding a mug of herbal tea, handing it to me with a warm, admiring smile. “You know, Clara, looking at you right now, nobody would ever guess you went through a federal trial eight months pregnant.”
I took a sip of the warm tea, looking out past the iron gates toward the horizon.
“Surviving is one thing,” I said softly, watching Owen laugh as he scored a goal against his sister. “Building something better from the ashes is where the real power lies.”
Grant had wanted an audience that night in the dining room. He had wanted to humiliate me, to break my spirit, to prove to everyone that I was helpless without him. He had laid out a stage, scripted every line, and waited for me to react the way he needed me to.
May you like
Instead, I had taken his script, torn it to pieces, and written an entirely new ending.
I looked down at Maya sleeping soundly against my chest, feeling the steady, powerful rhythm of her heart matching my own. We were free. We were safe. And we were unstoppable.
