Chapter 10 - The Horizon Ahead
Six months later, Kiera and Oliver sent out their first holiday cards from their new home in Seattle, where Oliver had accepted a promotion.
The front of the card featured a breathtaking, full-bleed photograph of the Port Harbor wedding: Kiera walking down the white sand aisle, her veil catching the ocean breeze, surrounded by faces filled with genuine, unfeigned love.
Gladys framed the card and placed it directly in the center of the mantlepiece, right where it could catch the morning light.
There were no more frantic phone calls demanding schedule changes. There were no more guilt trips about prioritizing the wrong daughter. The invisible hierarchy that had dictated their family's existence for decades had vanished into the Pacific salt air, replaced by a profound and lasting peace.
That evening, the phone rang. Gladys looked at the screen, seeing a number she didn't immediately recognize. For a split second, an old reflex stirred in her chest.
May you like
She let it ring three times, watched the screen go dark to voicemail, and felt only a deep, anchoring calm. She didn't pick it up. She didn't need to.
Instead, she walked to the kitchen window, poured herself a fresh cup of tea, and watched the sun dip below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold and amber—entirely on her own terms.
