Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Full Circle
By the summer of 2027, the restitution money from the court escrow had been completely transferred back into Anna’s name, along with an additional sum from the liquidation of Robert's hidden assets.
Anna was entering her junior year, and she had just been accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in London for the upcoming semester.
The night before her flight, we stood in the living room of my house, surrounded by open suitcases, clothes, and travel documents. The house was quiet, peaceful, and filled with the warm glow of the evening sun.
"Do you have your passport, sweetie?" I asked, checking the list for the hundredth time.
"Yes, Mom," Anna laughed, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind. "You've asked me five times. I have the passport, I have the visa, and the university confirmed the housing."
I turned around in her embrace, looking at my beautiful, independent daughter. She was strong, confident, and utterly unburdened by the malice of the people who had tried to steal her life away.
"I’m just so happy for you," I said, my eyes misting over with happy tears.
"We did it, Mom," Anna whispered, her voice fierce with gratitude. "They tried to take my future, but you gave me a bigger one."
May you like
"No," I corrected her, wiping a tear from her cheek. "We took what was ours. And from now on, the world belongs to you."
As we locked the suitcases and prepared for the airport, I looked out the front window at the quiet, peaceful street. The SUVs were gone, the screams were gone, and the wolves had been locked away. We hadn't just survived the ambush; we had won the war.
