I didn’t open it.
I spoke through the camera.
“I’m done,” I told him.
He left, defeated.
The legal process took time. Tessa took a plea deal. Josh lost everything he’d leaned on me to maintain.
My parents tried to make peace.
I chose distance instead.
Without me holding everything together, the family fell apart.
And my life finally began.
I fixed my house. Started a college fund. Bought a reliable new car.
And I bought a new purse.
Not a designer one. Just a beautiful, well-made leather bag from a local artist.
Six months later, Hannah and I spent my birthday in a quiet mountain cabin.
No chlorine. No laughter meant to hurt.
Just peace.
As the sun set, Hannah looked at me and said, “You do deserve nice things.”
She was right.
Josh had been wrong.
And for the first time in my life, I was free.
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