Chapter 6 - The Cleansing of the Manor
By three o'clock that afternoon, the rain had cleared from the skies over Chicago, leaving behind a crisp, clean autumn breeze.
Matthew and I returned to the Vance family estate in Lake Forest—the sprawling twelve-acre colonial manor where I had spent four years living in the shadows of Isabel’s cruelty.
Under the authority of the federal forfeiture decree, the estate was permanently returned to my sole, unencumbered ownership.
We arrived accompanied by a team of professional restoration contractors, forensic locksmiths, and movers.
The house was cold, smelling of stale perfume, expensive wine, and the oppressive rot of a stolen life. Every piece of ostentatious modern furniture, every designer wardrobe, and every portrait Isabel had installed to erase my mother’s memory was methodically stripped from the walls and loaded into disposal trucks.
I walked up the grand staircase to the second floor, pushing open the heavy mahogany door of the bedroom where Isabel had locked me twenty-four hours earlier.
The room was silent. The narrow bathroom window I had forced open still hung slightly ajar, letting the fresh, cool pine breeze flood across the hardwood floor.
I walked to the window, looking out over the dense woods where I had run in the dark, bleeding and terrified.
A pair of strong, warm hands gently settled over my shoulders.
I turned around. Matthew stood behind me, his slate-gray eyes soft with deep, unshakeable tenderness.
"What are you thinking about, Elena?" Matthew asked quietly.
I looked around the empty room, then up into the eyes of the man who had stood between me and the storm.
"I was thinking about the moment I stepped in front of your car," I whispered softly. "How I thought my life was ending in that mud... and how you opened the door."
Matthew smiled gently, his thumb brushing against my cheek, right over the healing mark where Isabel had struck me.
"I didn't save you, Elena," Matthew murmured. "You climbed out of that window with your own courage. I merely provided the transport to your victory."
May you like
Tears of pure, clean relief pricked my eyes as I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his chest, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart.
"Let's remodel this entire floor, Matthew," I smiled through my tears. "Let's bring the sunlight back into every room."
