Chapter 13 - A New Chapter Begins
By late summer, the apartment had been completely redecorated. Gone were the heavy, dark drapes that Arthur and Eleanor had insisted on; they were replaced by bright, airy linen curtains that let the morning sun flood every room.
Leo was now walking, holding onto coffee table edges and my fingers with a determined grip, chattering away in his own joyful toddler language.
My freelance copywriting business had officially transitioned into a full-time boutique marketing agency, allowing me to hire a part-time nanny three mornings a week while I worked from a shared creative workspace downtown. Life was busy, fast-paced, and filled with purpose.
One afternoon in August, as I picked Leo up from his crib after a long nap, he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck and planted a wet, enthusiastic kiss right on my cheek.
I laughed, hugging him tightly.
"You know what, little man?" I murmured, carrying him into the sunlit living room where our packing boxes from the past were now completely gone, replaced by framed photographs of our new life—just the two of us, smiling, strong, and free. "I think it's time for a change of scenery."
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I had been eyeing a bright, charming townhouse on the other side of the city—a place with a small fenced-in backyard, a big bay window for Leo to play by, and zero history of ghosts from the past.
It was time to turn the page completely.
