Chapter 9 - Reclaiming the House
Six months later, autumn had settled over Georgia. The sweltering summer heat gave way to crisp, cool air, and the leaves on the oak trees outside the Bell home turned deep shades of crimson and gold.
The divorce was final. Denise had signed all settlement papers, forfeiting her claims to the house and reimbursing the misappropriated funds from her remaining assets to avoid criminal prosecution. She and Taylor had moved back to her hometown in South Carolina, where Denise was trying to restart her real estate career under a maiden name.
Marcus stood in the center of the living room holding a paintbrush.
Over the past four weeks, Marcus and Amara had completely gutted the house. The pristine, cold white furniture that Denise had picked out was gone. In its place were warm wood bookshelves, comfortable velvet sofas, and framed photos of Evelyn, Marcus, and Amara from their trips to the Georgia coast.
Amara walked down the stairs, wearing an oversized faded gray sweatshirt, her paint-splattered hands holding a roller.
"Dad?" she called out.
"In here, sweetie," Marcus said, wiping a smudge of blue paint from his forehead.
Amara walked in, looking around the bright, sunlit space. The walls were painted a soft, serene shade of sage green—Amara’s favorite color.
"What do you think?" Marcus asked, gesturing to the freshly painted accent wall.
Amara walked over to the mantle. Resting on a brass stand right in the middle of the room was a small, oak-framed photograph. It was taken three weeks ago at the Magnolia Ridge Fall Honors Banquet. In the photo, Amara was wearing her simple blue dress—the same dress she had picked out six months earlier—standing proudly beside Dr. Calloway and Marcus, holding her first-place award in the state science competition.
Amara ran her fingers along the wooden frame.
May you like
"It looks like home again, Dad," she said softly.
Marcus walked up behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "It is home, Amara. And no one is ever going to make you feel like a guest in your own home ever again."
