Chapter 9 - LESSONS IN THE SUN
Five years passed.
The sun shone brightly over the rolling green lawns of the Vale Estate.
Six-year-old Lucas and Leo were running across the grass, kicking a soccer ball, their laughter echoing through the trees. They were smart, kind, handsome boys who possessed my sharp intelligence and an abundance of empathy for everyone around them. They knew nothing of the cruelty of their biological father; they only knew the unconditional love of a mother who held the world in her hands.
Julian Vance was sitting on the terrace steps, helping Leo tie his tiny soccer cleats, laughing as the boy rattled off facts about space travel.
I walked out onto the porch, holding a tray of fresh lemonade, watching the three of them. Julian had become an irreplaceable part of our lives—a devoted partner to me, and a loving, protective father figure to my sons.
My private phone chimed on the table.
It was an update from Marcus.
Graham Harrington’s petition for early parole was officially denied today. He will serve his full twelve-year sentence. Vivian Harrington is currently living in a small subsidized retirement home in rural Indiana, forgotten by high society.
I looked at the message for three seconds, feeling absolutely zero emotion—no anger, no triumph, no sorrow. Just complete, perfect indifference.
I closed the phone and slipped it into my pocket.
"Mommy!" Lucas shouted, running up the marble steps, his face rosy and sweating from soccer. "Look! Julian taught me how to do a trick kick!"
"Did he now?" I chuckled, wiping his sweaty forehead with a soft towel. "Show me!"
Lucas kicked the ball with perfect precision, sending it curling right into the small pop-up net set on the grass.
"Bravo!" I clapped, pulling my son into a warm, tight hug.
Leo ran up behind him, wrapping his tiny arms around my waist. "Mommy, Julian said we can go camping in the mountains this weekend! Can we? Please?"
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I looked up at Julian, who offered me a warm, hopeful smile.
"If your homework is done, my sweet boys," I kissed their heads gently, "we can go anywhere in the world."
