Chapter 7: Breath and Bone
One Year Later.
The ocean breeze carried the scent of salt and freedom. I stood on the balcony of my new coastal apartment, sipping a mug of green tea as the sun set in brilliant shades of tangerine and violet.
I had moved three states away, leaving no forwarding address. With the leftover funds from my trust and a new remote job, I had built a life that was entirely mine. Sarah and a few close friends were flying in for a weekend barbecue to celebrate my one-year "cancer-free" anniversary.
I heard a knock on my front door.
May you like
I didn't flinch. I didn't reach for a recording device. I just smiled, set my mug down, and walked to greet the family I had chosen for myself.
A sick daughter had walked into that terrible family meeting a year ago, ready to die. But a strong, unbreakable woman had walked out. And she was finally, truly, alive.
