Chapter 10 - Epilogue — The Open Road
Two years after the wedding that never was, I stood on the observation deck of the Willis Tower, looking out over the glittering expanse of Chicago at dusk.
The city stretched out beneath me in a grid of golden lights and endless possibility—millions of lives moving through offices, apartments, restaurants, and streets, each carrying their own secrets, their own battles, and their own hidden strengths.
My phone vibrated in my tailored blazer pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
It was a text from Evelyn, attaching a photo of her first oil painting: a vibrant, sweeping canvas of a sailboat cutting through a stormy sea into bright, unbroken sunlight.
Finished my first piece, she wrote. Title: Clearing the Horizon. Thought you’d appreciate it.
I smiled, typing back a quick reply: It’s a masterpiece. Keep painting.
I slipped the phone back into my pocket, straightened my lapel, and took a deep, steady breath of the cool evening air.
May you like
My name is Claire Vance. I am a forensic investigator, a survivor, and a woman who refuses to be broken by anyone’s rules.
I turned away from the glass, walked toward the elevators, and stepped out onto the open road, ready for whatever truth came next.
