CHAPTER 5
Sixteen months later, our twins raced unsteadily across the garden at their first birthday party. Ava’s lungs were healthy. Noah laughed whenever she fell, then offered his hand.
I still had a thin scar and occasional nightmares, but fear no longer owned the room.
Daniel wrapped an arm around me as the children smashed cake between their fingers.
“Do you ever regret setting the trap?” he asked.
I watched Ava place frosting on Noah’s nose and smiled.
“No,” I said. “They thought motherhood made me weak. It taught me what was worth protecting.”
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Beyond the garden, sunlight rested on the house where I had nearly died. Inside, the repaired camera blinked above the pantry door.
This time, nothing in my life was hidden.
