Chapter 10 - A New Dawn
Six months later, summer had arrived in full bloom.
The Bennett Estate was alive with laughter. Friends, true friends I had been forced to abandon during my marriage, gathered on the sprawling lawns for Leo and Lily’s first birthday party.
The press had moved on to other scandals. Cole Whitmore had accepted a plea deal: eight years in federal prison, followed by complete restitution that would ensure every dollar he ever made for the rest of his natural life would go into a trust fund for our children.
I stood on the stone patio, holding Lily on my hip while Leo chased a golden retriever puppy across the grass. I wore a simple white sundress, my skin glowing in the summer warmth.
I was no longer the frightened girl sitting on the edge of a bed on Christmas Eve, staring at a Tiffany box and trembling at the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
I had survived the fire, and in the ashes, I had found my steel.
Arthur walked over, handing me a small glass of champagne. "To freedom, Lauren."
I clinked my glass against his. "To freedom."
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We watched the children laugh as the sun began to dip behind the treeline, casting a golden glow over everything my family had built. It felt like peace. Real peace.
Until Arthur’s personal phone buzzed in his pocket.
