Chapter 10 - Derek Tried to Contact Me From Prison One Last Time, and This Time I Wasn't Afraid to Hear HimDerek sent a letter.
I almost burned it.
Instead, I read it.
I’m sorry.
I didn't believe it.
Not because people couldn't change.
Because some apologies came too late.
He admitted everything.
The abuse.
The manipulation.
The lies.
The financial schemes.
He named people.
He gave investigators more evidence.
His sentence increased.
I never visited.
But I wrote one line back.
I hope you become someone who no longer hurts people.
Nothing more.
Vincent asked if I regretted not forgiving him.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Forgiveness isn't required for healing.”
He nodded.
I smiled.
“I've already moved on.”
He kissed me.
That night, we watched Elena sleep.
She had grown so fast.
Vincent looked at her.
“I missed a lot before you.”
“Yes.”
“I don't want to miss anything now.”
May you like
“You won't.”
He smiled.
Related Stories
Chapter 11 - I Took the Stand One Last Time, and Instead of Telling the Court About My Pain, I Told Them What I Had Built After ItThe final legal case against Derek's network reached trial.
Chapter 12 - The House That Once Felt Like a Prison Became the Place Where My Daughter Learned What Love Was Supposed to Look LikeYears later, we visited the property where Derek and I had lived.
Chapter 13 - Vincent Gave Me One Final Choice, and I Chose the Life I Had Once Thought I Didn't DeserveVincent planned a small ceremony.
Chapter 14 - My Daughter Asked Me Why I Never Let Money Decide My Life, and I Gave Her the Answer My Younger Self NeededElena was fifteen.
Chapter 15 - My Husband Crushed My Phone and Thought He Had Destroyed My Last Chance to Escape—But Years Later, I Realized That Broken Phone Was the First Piece of My New LifeSometimes I think about that phone.
