Chapter 10 - The Garden of Daughters
The arrivals terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was bustling with travelers, but my eyes were locked onto the international exit doors.
Dr. Mercer, Detective Reyes, and Sarah stood beside me, holding bright balloons and welcome signs.
Then, the frosted glass doors slid open.
Walking through the terminal, accompanied by an airline escort, were two young girls—eight-year-old Aarya and six-year-old Ananya. They wore matching pink dresses, holding small backpacks, looking around the bright airport with wide, curious eyes.
“Aarya! Ananya!” I cried out, my voice breaking.
The two little girls stopped, looked across the crowded room, and their eyes locked onto mine.
“Mummy!” Aarya screamed, dropping her small bag and running toward me as fast as her little legs could carry her. Ananya followed right behind her, her small arms outstretched.
I dropped to my knees on the polished floor, opening my arms wide.
They slammed into my chest, wrapping their small, soft arms around my neck, burying their faces into my shoulders. I held them so tightly I could feel their little hearts beating against mine, my tears soaking into their hair.
“Mummy’s here,” I sobbed, kissing their cheeks, their foreheads, their tiny hands. “Mummy’s here. No one will ever hurt us again. You are safe. You are loved.”
“Mummy,” Ananya whispered, pulling back slightly to look at my face with her big, brilliant dark eyes. “Are we going to live with you now?”
“Yes, my sweet darling,” I smiled through my tears, holding both of their faces in my hands. “We are going home. To our home.”
We walked out of the airport together, hand in hand, stepping into the bright, beautiful Texas afternoon.
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The rental house in the dusty yard was gone, torn down by the county months ago. Navin and Devki were locked away in dark steel cells where they could never harm another human soul.
And standing in the warm sunlight, surrounded by the daughters they had called worthless, I looked toward the future—a life built on justice, courage, and unconditional, everlasting love.
