Chapter 7 - A New Chapter Begins
Two months after the crash, I was officially discharged from the rehabilitation center.
I walked out of the hospital doors under my own power, using a sleek carbon-fiber cane, with Elena pushing a double stroller carrying Noah and Lily. The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, smelling of fallen leaves and endless possibilities.
Instead of returning to the suffocating shadow of my family's demands, we drove straight to a modern, sunlit penthouse apartment overlooking the coastline in San Diego. I had purchased the property entirely with liquid capital freed up from cutting off my family's financial drain. It had floor-to-ceiling windows, an open-concept kitchen, and a spacious nursery where the twins could grow up hearing the sound of the ocean instead of endless arguments about money and social status.
As we walked into the penthouse for the first time, Elena helped me settle the twins into their new cribs before turning to me with a wide, bright smile.
"Well, Mama," Elena said, looking around the breathtaking living room. "I'd say you traded up."
"Infinitely," I breathed, walking over to the massive glass window and looking out at the sparkling blue ocean.
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. I glanced at it. An unknown number, followed by a voicemail notification. I didn't even have to listen to it to know who it was. My father, whining about a cheap motel; my mother, complaining about having to do her own laundry; or Claire, begging for money to start another doomed business venture.
May you like
With a calm, steady motion, I picked up the phone, blocked the number, and dropped the device onto the counter face down.
I didn't care anymore. Their voices were static in the wind.
