Chapter 14
I told Cara.
She looked back.
The black car was still there.
"Do you think it's Robert's people?" she whispered.
"I don't know," I said. "But we're going to find out."
I called the police.
I told them someone was following us.
They said they'd send a car.
I drove toward the police station.
The black car followed.
Closer.
Faster.
I could see the driver now.
A man.
Wearing sunglasses.
He looked familiar.
And then I recognized him.
He was one of Robert's old business associates.
I'd seen his picture in Robert's journals.
His name was Marcus.
He'd been Robert's right-hand man.
He'd been involved in everything.
The embezzlement.
The cover-up.
Everything.
And now he was following us.
"He's going to try to run us off the road," Cara said.
She was right.
The black car accelerated.
It pulled up beside us.
Marcus looked at me.
And he smiled.
Cold.
Evil.
He swerved toward us.
I jerked the wheel.
We missed him by inches.
Lily screamed.
Orion started crying.
"Hold on!" I shouted.
I accelerated.
We raced through the streets.
The black car right behind us.
Marcus was determined.
He wasn't going to let us get away.
"Why is he doing this?" Cara cried. "Robert is dead. Victoria is in prison. It's over!"
"He wants the money," I said. "He thinks if he gets rid of us, he can claim the estate. He's been waiting this whole time. Biding his time. And now he's making his move."
I saw the police lights up ahead.
Help was coming.
But Marcus saw them too.
He swerved again.
This time, he hit us.
The back of our car spun out.
We crashed into a lamppost.
Everything went black.
I woke up in the hospital.
My head hurt.
My arm was in a sling.
I looked around.
Cara was in the bed beside me.
She was awake.
She looked at me.
"The kids?" I asked.
"They're fine," she said. Tears in her eyes. "A few scrapes and bruises. But they're okay. Elaine is with them."
"Marcus?"
"The police got him," she said. "He tried to run. But they caught him. He's in custody. He's been charged with attempted murder. And a lot of other things. He's not going to hurt anyone ever again."
I closed my eyes.
Relief washed over me.
It was really over.
This time for good.
Marcus was in prison.
Victoria was in prison.
Robert was dead.
All the evil people who'd hurt our family were gone.
We were safe.
The next few days were a blur.
Police interviews.
Insurance claims.
Doctor's appointments.
But through it all, we were together.
And we were alive.
Lily and Orion recovered quickly.
They were resilient.
Brave.
Just like their mother.
Cara and I healed too.
Our injuries were minor.
Our hearts were strong.
One evening, after the kids were asleep, we went up to the roof.
We looked at the stars.
And we talked.
About everything we'd been through.
The college years.
The disappearance.
The ten years apart.
The return.
The marriage.
The fake death.
The reunion.
The children.
The accidents.
The evil people.
The miracles.
And we laughed.
Because it was all so much.
So much pain.
So much joy.
So much life.
"We've been through hell," Cara said.
"But we made it," I said.
She leaned her head on my shoulder.
"I love you, Ethan Carter," she said. "More than all the stars in the universe."
"I love you too, Cara Bennett," I said. "More than you'll ever know."
We sat there for a long time.
Watching the stars.
Holding each other.
And I knew.
Whatever came next.
We'd face it together.
As a family.
The next few months were peaceful.
Quiet.
Normal.
And it was wonderful.
We celebrated Lily's eleventh birthday.
We celebrated Orion's fifth.
We celebrated our second wedding anniversary.
Our third.
Life was good.
Cara's disease was progressing slowly.
The doctors were amazed.
They said her positive attitude and the love of her family were keeping her healthy.
She was still here.
Still fighting.
Still loving.
And then one day, the letter came.
From the government.
From a special committee.
They were honoring Elaine.
For her courage.
For her survival.
For coming forward and helping to solve her own murder.
They were giving her a medal of courage.
And they wanted all of us to be there.
The ceremony was in Washington.
At the Capitol.
We flew there.
All of us.
Cara.
Me.
Lily.
Orion.
Elaine.
Maya.
We sat in the front row.
Elaine was called up to the stage.
The speaker told her story.
The murder.
The survival.
The twenty years in hiding.
The courage to come forward.
The audience applauded.
They stood.
They cheered.
Elaine accepted the medal.
She looked out at us.
And she smiled.
After the ceremony, a reporter approached us.
"Your story is incredible," she said. "Love. Loss. Survival. Family. What would you say to people who are going through hard times? What's your secret?"
Cara looked at me.
Then she looked at our children.
Then she looked at the reporter.
And she smiled.
"Love never dies," she said. "It just changes. Sometimes it leaves. Sometimes it comes back. Sometimes it hides. But it's always there. And if you hold on. If you believe. If you fight for it. Love always finds a way. Always."
The reporter wrote it down.
And that quote would be in newspapers across the country the next day.
But we didn't care about the publicity.
We cared about each other.
We walked out of the Capitol building.
The sun was shining.
The sky was blue.
And our future was bright.
We were together.
We were alive.
And we were finally, truly home.
But there was one more stop to make.
One more promise to keep.
May you like
We were going back to the cemetery.
This time, to celebrate.
