Chapter 7 - The Aftermath in the Snow
We walked out of the front door of the Reynolds mansion into the crisp, biting Colorado wind. The snow was falling in heavy, graceful flakes, dusting the lawn in a pure blanket of white.
Behind us, we could hear the sounds of Marcus screaming at his mother, blaming her for the advice she had given him years ago, while Patricia sobbed uncontrollably in the foyer. The home they had built on arrogance and social climbing had collapsed into a heap of toxic regret.
As we reached the helicopter waiting on the expanse of the lawn, the pilot spun up the rotors. The low roar of the engines filled the air, cutting off the ugly sounds of the house behind us.
Liam walked beside me, his arm resting gently against my back to steady me against the wind.
“You handled that with immense grace, Kesha,” Liam said, looking down at me with deep admiration. “Most people would have wanted blood.”
“Living well and raising whole, happy children is the only revenge that matters,” I replied, looking back one last time at the house.
Through the large bay window of the dining room, I saw Marcus standing alone, staring out into the snowy yard. He watched as the four children he had rejected stepped into the luxurious, heated cabin of the helicopter. He watched as the rotors kicked up clouds of white snow, lifting us higher and higher into the bright blue sky above the Rockies.
He was left down there in the dark, cold valley of his own making, completely alone.
Inside the cabin, Noah settled into his leather seat, adjusting his headset. “Mommy?”
“Yes, my love?” I asked, leaning over to buckle his seatbelt.
“Is that man ever going to try to bother us again?”
I looked at Liam, who gave me a confident, quiet nod.
“No, Noah,” I said, kissing his forehead. “He will never bother us again. You have my word.”
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Sophia giggled as the helicopter banked over the mountains, heading south toward Texas. “Good. He wasn't very nice anyway. Can we get hot chocolate when we get back to Austin?”
“We can get the biggest hot chocolates in the city,” I promised, pulling all four of them close to me.
