Chapter 10
One year later.
Dad made us dinner. Aiden helped set the table.
We sat together, laughing, talking. Normal. Whole.
Afterward, Dad pulled me aside.
"I need you to know something," he said. "The day you caught her wrist… the day you stood up for Aiden… that was the bravest thing I have ever seen."
He squeezed my shoulder.
"You protected him when I couldn't. You held this family together when it was falling apart. You are strong, Olivia. Stronger than you know."
I looked across the room. Aiden was coloring happily on the floor. Safe. Loved. Whole.
I looked at Dad. Clear-eyed. Present. Healed.
"I didn't do it alone," I said.
Dad smiled.
"No. You didn't. And that's the point. Family stands together. Even when it's hard. Even when it hurts."
He pulled me into a hug.
"I love you, Olivia. More than anything. And I am so proud of you."
I closed my eyes.
The slap. The fear. The silence. The lies. All of it was behind us.
May you like
And ahead… only light.
Only us.
