Chapter 17: Home At Last
Lily ran out the door and grabbed my hand, bouncing on her toes. “Mom! Come see what I made for the fridge!”
She pulled me inside, and taped front and center on the fridge door was her drawing: four stick figures, a big house, and a bright flag on top.
“Who’s all these people?” I asked, pointing to the four figures holding hands.
“Me, you, Grandpa Ray, and Grandma and Grandpa,” she said, grinning so wide her dimples showed. “We’re all happy here.”
I picked her up and held her tight, breathing in the smell of her crayons and sunshine.
Once, this house was a place of fear. Of lies. Of people who thought they could take everything from me and get away with it. Now? It’s full of light. Full of second chances. Full of love that doesn’t ask you to be perfect to deserve it.
I looked out the window at the flag waving proud in the wind, and smiled.
We didn’t just survive. We came back stronger. And this time, no one could ever take our home away from us.
**THE END**
