Chapter 10 - The Unbroken Horizon
That evening, Eleanor Brooks and I sat at an outdoor table at a quiet, elegant restaurant overlooking the Long Island Sound.
The moon rose over the water, casting a long, silver ribbon of light across the dark waves.
Eleanor lifted her champagne glass, the golden liquid sparkling under the lantern light.
"To Catherine Mercer," Eleanor declared with a warm, triumphant smile. "The woman who wore a twelve-dollar coat to a tiger’s den... and walked out owning the zoo."
I laughed, touching my glass to hers with a clear, ringing CLINK.
"To peace, Eleanor," I corrected her gently. "And to knowing when to close the record."
We drank our champagne, watching the ships pass silently along the horizon.
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There were no more court dates. No more hidden files. No more family betrayals. No more men explaining the law to a woman who had mastered it before they ever passed the bar.
The air was cool, the ocean breeze was sweet, and the future stretched out before me—wide, bright, clear, and completely, undeniably mine.
