Chapter 9 - A NEW DAWN
One month later, the hospital room on the private maternity floor of St. Jude’s Medical Center was filled with soft afternoon sunlight. Outside the window, a light spring rain was washing over the city streets, making the glass glisten like scattered diamonds.
The room was quiet, except for the rhythmic, soothing beep of the heart monitor and the soft breathing of the newborn resting in my arms.
She was tiny, perfect, with a thick tuft of dark hair and clear, curious dark eyes that looked up at me without fear.
The door opened quietly, and my mother walked in, carrying a large bouquet of white peonies—my favorite flowers. She set them on the bedside table and leaned over the bassinet, her usually stern face melting into a look of unconditional warmth.
“She’s beautiful, Evelyn,” my mother whispered, touching the baby’s tiny fingers. “She looks just like you when you were born.”
“Her name is Victoria,” I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from my baby’s forehead. “Victoria Vance.”
“Victoria,” Eleanor repeated, a proud smile gracing her lips. “Victory. A fitting name.”
My phone, resting on the nightstand, buzzed silently with a text notification. I picked it up with one hand.
It was a formal notification from my mother’s head paralegal:
Grant Vance pled guilty this morning to two counts of financial fraud and one count of conspiracy. Sentenced to twelve years at the state correctional facility without possibility of parole for eight years. Divorce decree finalized and signed by the judge.
I looked at the notification for a brief second, feeling neither joy nor anger. It was simply data—a closing entry on an account that had been settled and closed forever.
I swiped the notification away and turned off the phone screen, dropping it back onto the table.
May you like
“Everything taken care of?” Eleanor asked quietly, noticing the movement.
“Yes,” I replied, looking down at Victoria as she let out a soft, sweet sigh and drifted back to sleep in my arms. “Everything is taken care of.”
