Chapter 10 - The Unshakeable Home
Two years later.
The sun was shining brightly over Cannon Beach. The ocean air was cool and sweet, carrying the scent of salt water and pine needles.
The wooden deck of my Oregon cabin had been expanded. A hand-built timber pergola now shaded a large dining table surrounded by family and true friends.
Richard Sterling was there, laughing with Detective Sarah Marcus over fresh grilled salmon. Dr. Vance and his wife were sitting near the fire pit, enjoying the coastal view.
And beside me stood Ethan.
We had been married three months ago in a small, intimate ceremony right on the beach below the bluff—no lavish ballrooms, no fake pretense, no family debts. Just two people who respected, loved, and trusted each other completely.
I sat in a comfortable wooden lounger on the deck, cradling our newborn three-month-old daughter, Maya, in my arms.
Maya had thick dark curls and Ethan’s warm, bright eyes. She let out a soft, contented sigh, her tiny fingers curling around my thumb as I gently rocked her.
Ethan walked over, carrying two cups of fresh coffee, and sat on the bench beside me. He leaned down, kissing my forehead, then gently kissing Maya's soft cheek.
"She looks just like her mother," Ethan whispered warmly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"She has your smile," I replied softly, resting my head against his shoulder.
Down below on the beach, the Pacific tide rolled in, the turquoise waves breaking rhythmically against the shore, steady, permanent, and free.
I looked down at my daughter, then at the sturdy timber deck beneath our feet, then at the man standing beside me.
Everything in my life was solid now.
May you like
The fever was gone. The shadows had vanished.
And in their place stood a home that no storm, no lie, and no threat could ever tear down.
