Chapter 18 - Summer on the Shore
Months turned into a full year, and the seasons cycled around the coastal cottage with a peaceful, rhythmic grace.
Spring brought blooming wildflowers along the dunes and long, sun-drenched afternoons of flying kites on the beach. Summer brought salt water, ice cream cones, and the pitter-patter of tiny paws across our wooden floors—we had finally adopted a golden retriever puppy, whom Lily promptly named "Major."
Lily had grown taller, her confidence blossoming with every passing month. She excelled in her classes, joined the school art club, and no longer looked over her shoulder when someone raised their voice. She was simply, beautifully, a happy child.
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And I had found my own rhythm—writing consulting reports for security logistics from my home office, spending my afternoons walking the shoreline with Major and Lily, and watching the world unfold with eyes free of suspicion.
We had rebuilt our universe from the ground up, brick by brick, wave by wave.
