Chapter 10 - The Unshakable Home
Two years later.
November 2029. Thanksgiving Day.
The scent of roasted turkey, cinnamon apples, and warm cornbread filled every corner of our house.
Our dining room table was set for twelve people. Sitting around the table was a true family—not a collection of toxic obligations, but a circle of people chosen by love, respect, and loyalty.
My dad sat at the head of the table, laughing as three-year-old Clover—now running around with wild blonde curls and an infectious giggle—handed him a plastic toy turkey. My brothers, Stuart and Felix, sat nearby, arguing good-naturedly about football.
Owen stood by the kitchen counter, carving the turkey with practiced precision, looking confident, grounded, and completely at peace.
I stood in the doorway of the dining room, holding a tray of warm dinner rolls, looking around at the bright, happy faces filling my home.
My phone buzzed in my apron pocket. I pulled it out, glancing at the screen.
It was an automated notification from a blocked contact registry—a standard alert showing that an unrecognized number had tried to call twice from Phoenix last week and left a silent voicemail.
I didn't listen to the voicemail. I didn't feel a spike of anxiety or anger. I simply swiped the notification away, tapped the screen to delete it permanently, and slid the phone back into my pocket.
Harriet was a ghost from a life I had left behind. She had tried to break my spirit, control my home, and exploit my vulnerability. But in doing so, she had accidentally forged me into a woman who would never, ever be intimidated again.
"Vivien, sweetheart, come sit down," Dad called out, patting the empty chair beside him. "Turkey's ready!"
"Coming, Dad!" I smiled.
I walked into the dining room, placed the warm rolls in the center of the table, and took my seat. Owen sat down right beside me, wrapping his arm securely around my shoulders and pressing a tender kiss to my temple.
May you like
We raised our glasses together in a toast to health, to family, and to the unshakable home we had built with our own hands.
Outside, the autumn wind blew crisp and cold, but inside, our house was warm, safe, and entirely our own.
