Chapter 10 - The Horizon
The sun rose over the Pacific Ocean the next morning, painting the sky in brilliant strokes of gold, peach, and violet.
Claire stood on her wooden back porch holding a mug of black coffee, watching the waves roll lazily onto the sand below. The salty breeze caught her hair, carrying away the lingering ghosts of Newport Beach, of grand estates, of cruel tea parties, and of a life built on hollow expectations.
Inside the house, she heard the faint, joyous sound of little feet pattering down the hallway.
"Mommy! Mommy, is it pancake day?" Maya’s bright voice called out from the living room.
"Yes, sweetheart! Pancake day!" Leo yelled right behind her.
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Claire smiled—a wide, brilliant, untethered smile that reached all the way to her eyes. She turned away from the railing and walked back inside, stepping over a pair of tiny blue sneakers left right by the front door.
She was home. And her story was only just beginning.
