Chapter 10 - Retribution and Morning Light
The next morning, I drove out to Savannah Creek alone.
The old wooden guardrail that Garrett had crashed through had been completely replaced with reinforced steel barriers and a polished stone memorial plaque commemorating my parents. The river flowed smoothly beneath the morning autumn sun, its waters sparkling like crushed diamonds.
I walked down the rocky embankment to the very spot where Garrett had crawled onto the shore, where Penelope had stood with her umbrella, watching the car go under.
The morning breeze was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of pine and salt water.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small glass vial containing river water I had collected the night we survived. Beside it was my wedding band—the simple platinum band Garrett had slid onto my finger three years ago while promising to love and cherish me until death did us part.
I held the ring between my thumb and forefinger.
"You tried to give me to the river, Garrett," I whispered into the morning wind. "You thought the water would swallow my name, my voice, and my legacy."
With a flick of my wrist, I hurled the platinum ring far into the center of Savannah Creek.
It caught the morning light for a split second before vanishing beneath the ripples with a faint, final splash.
I turned my back on the water and walked back up the stone steps toward my car. At the top of the ridge, Tobias was waiting by the open passenger door, holding little Grace in his arms as she laughed at the seagulls circling overhead.
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The sun rose higher into the sky, chasing away the last morning mists from the valley.
The nightmare was over. The poison was washed clean. And for the first time in fifteen years, the Sterling family stood tall, unbroken, and completely free.
