Chapter 7 - The Cleansing of the Past
Six months after the sentencing.
The estate where the stabbing had taken place was legally transferred to me as part of the civil asset settlement, along with Flynn’s remaining sixty percent stake in Vance Global.
I didn't keep the house.
On a cool autumn morning, I stood on the edge of the property, wearing a warm grey wool coat, holding a cup of hot tea. Beside me stood Leo and a team of heavy demolition operators.
A massive yellow excavator sat on the driveway, its diesel engine roaring to life, its steel jaw hovering over the grand front entrance of the mansion.
“Are you sure you want to demolish it, Mabel?” Leo asked gently. “The property alone is worth twelve million dollars. You could sell it to a developer.”
“I don't want someone else living in this memory, Leo,” I said softly. “This place needs to be erased.”
I raised my hand, giving the signal to the foreman.
The foreman nodded, pulling a lever inside the cab.
The massive steel ball crashed through the front doors of the mansion with a deafening CRUNCH. Glass shattered, stone crumbled, and mahogany beams snapped under the violent impact.
I watched as the foyer—the very spot where Flynn had set down the apple knife, walked toward me, and plunged the blade into my stomach while Selina smiled—was reduced to a pile of twisted metal, broken plaster, and dust.
The dust cloud rose into the autumn air, caught by the cool breeze blowing off the Hudson River, blowing away into nothingness.
I took a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill my lungs completely—no pain, no tightness in my chest, no fear.
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“What will you do with the land?” Leo asked as the roof began to collapse inward.
“Build a garden,” I replied, taking a sip of my tea. “A private sanctuary for mothers recovering from trauma and loss. A place where things are nurtured, not destroyed.”
