Not because I still live in fear.
I kept it there to remind myself that the fear of the morning stopped controlling my choices.
My phone buzzed with a notification that Daniel’s early release request had been denied.
I deleted it without opening the details.
Dad lifted the cup.
“To new beginnings.”
I tapped my glass against his.
“And leave the makeup intact.”
Outside, the garden was beginning to bloom.
Inside, no one told me where to live, how to smile, or what pain I needed to hide.
For the first time in years, my home and my life truly belonged to me.
