Chapter 15: Full Circle

On the second anniversary of that morning in the bathroom, I hosted a small dinner for the friends who had stood by me. We ate on the back terrace overlooking the lake. Laughter filled the air instead of fear.
After everyone left, I walked through the quiet house one last time before bed.
I paused in the bathroom and looked at the counter where the makeup bag had landed.
It was empty now.
I smiled at my reflection—the real one, without any need to hide.
Ryan had tried to teach me to cover everything up.
Instead, I had uncovered the truth.
The house was mine.
May you like
The power was mine.
And for the first time in years, so was my peace.