Chapter 18
Two months before the wedding, I got a letter.
It was from Harrison.
I stared at the envelope. My hands shook.
I hadn't heard from him since the trial. I'd hoped I never would.
I opened it.
Maren,
I know you don't want to hear from me. But I need to say this.
I've been in prison for a year now. I've had a lot of time to think. About what I did. About Elodie. About you.
I was wrong. About everything.
I was a monster. I hurt the people who loved me most. I destroyed my own family.
I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't deserve it. But I needed you to know that I'm sorry. Truly sorry.
I've been writing to Elodie too. I don't know if you'll ever let her read these letters. But I needed to write them. To tell her I'm sorry. To tell her I love her. Even if I don't deserve to.
You're a good mother, Maren. Better than I ever deserved. Take care of her. Tell her stories about me if you want. Or don't. Whatever is best for her.
I'm going to spend the rest of my life paying for what I did. And I'll spend every day regretting it.
Harrison
I put the letter down. I felt... nothing.
No anger. No sadness. No pity.
Just emptiness.
He was a ghost from my past. And I was living in the present.
I showed the letter to Margaret. She read it. She cried.
"He's my son," she said. "But I don't know him anymore."
She looked at me.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said. "I'm going to throw it away. And I'm never going to tell Elodie about it. She doesn't need that in her life."
Margaret nodded.
"I think that's best," she said.
I threw the letter in the fire. I watched it burn.
Goodbye, Harrison.
The wedding was perfect.
We got married on the cliff behind our cottage. The ocean was our backdrop. The sun was shining.
Elodie was the flower girl. She wore a beautiful white dress. She threw rose petals and smiled the whole time.
Margaret gave me away. She cried happy tears.
Detective Chen was my maid of honor. She looked beautiful.
Tom's family came. They were warm and welcoming. They accepted Elodie as their own immediately.
We said our vows. Simple. Honest. Full of love.
When Tom kissed me, Elodie cheered.
"Yay!" she shouted. "Now you're my daddy!"
Everyone laughed.
The reception was in our backyard. We had a big tent. Music. Dancing.
Elodie danced with Tom. She danced with Margaret. She danced with Detective Chen. She danced with everyone.
I watched her. My heart was so full it felt like it would burst.
This was my family. My life. My happy ending.
After the party, after everyone had left, Tom and I sat on the porch. Elodie was asleep in Margaret's guest cottage.
"Mrs. Carter," Tom said. He smiled.
"Mr. Carter," I said. I smiled back.
He kissed me.
"We did good," he said.
"We did," I said.
I looked out at the ocean. The moon was bright. The waves were calm.
Three years ago, I'd lost everything. I'd been broken. I'd been alone.
And now...
Now I had a husband who loved me. A daughter who adored me. A mother-in-law who'd become my mother. A friend who'd become family.
I had a home.
I had peace.
I leaned my head on Tom's shoulder.
"I love you," I said.
"I love you too," he said.
Life wasn't perfect. Elodie still had bad days. I still had nightmares. We still had to work through our trauma.
May you like
But we had each other.
And that was enough.
