Jeffrey looked at me in surprise.
“You kept this secret?”
I nodded.
“I hoped we’d never need it.”
Jeffrey looked toward the courthouse.
“Do you think Vanessa will come back?”
I shook my head.
“Not after that.”
For the first time in 10 years, the weight on my chest felt lighter.
Jeffrey slipped his arm around my shoulders, and his brother joined us.
We stood there together, finally free from the shadow that had followed us for years.
And for the first time since that terrible night, our family finally felt whole again.
