By the next week, every lender who had circled my parents’ company suddenly became very polite.
Six months later, Mara cut her hair short, moved into a sunlit apartment, and started laughing again. My parents’ company survived under clean financing and a new legal team.
Victor awaited trial from a cell he swore he would never see.
Elian took a plea.
As for me, I kept the wedding photo.
Not the one of the bride and groom.
The one of Mara and me outside the chapel, her veil in my hands, sunlight on her face, both of us smiling like women who had walked through fire and left the monsters burning behind us.
