Chapter 10 - The Sunlight
Two years after the day her coffin was cracked open in the St. Jude Funeral Chapel, the Arthur Vance Memorial Park was formally opened to the public in Westchester.
Where the dark, imposing mansion once stood, there was now a sprawling, beautiful expanse of green rolling hills, flower gardens, reflecting pools, and open walking trails.
On a warm, golden Saturday afternoon, hundreds of local families gathered on the lawn for the grand opening ceremony. Children played near the fountains; music from a live jazz quartet drifted through the warm breeze; and sunlight sparkled off the clear water of the central lake.
Emily stood near the edge of the reflecting pool, wearing a flowing white summer dress that caught the soft breeze.
Her hair was back to its natural, healthy glow, her skin warm and radiant. Beside her walked Detective Sarah Chen, Maria, and Maria’s twelve-year-old daughter, Sofia, who was happily eating an ice cream cone.
Emily looked up at the bright, wide-open sky.
There were no marble ceilings here. There were no velvet linings, no heavy mahogany doors, no locks, and no shadows. There was only the endless blue sky, the warm sun against her skin, and the sweet, clean smell of blooming jasmine.
She reached down, took a deep breath of fresh, crisp air—filling her lungs completely, feeling the strong, steady beat of her heart inside her chest.
She took a small brass key from her pocket—the key to her old room at the estate—and walked over to the edge of the deep reflecting pool.
With a graceful, decisive motion, Emily tossed the brass key into the water.
She watched it sink down through the crystal-clear water, coming to rest at the bottom, buried deep beneath the sand and stone, forever out of reach.
May you like
Emily turned back to her friends, her real family, her face illuminated by the bright, golden afternoon light.
She took another step forward, smiling into the warm sun, ready for the long, beautiful life that was finally hers to live.
