Chapter 10 - The Horizon
One year later.
The morning sun rose golden and bright over the quiet harbor of Marblehead, casting shimmering diamonds across the blue water of the Atlantic Ocean.
I stood on the wide wooden deck of a beautiful two-story shingled house overlooking the water, holding a cup of fresh, hot coffee, watching the seagulls circle above the sailboat masts in the harbor.
The air smelled of salt pine, wild roses, and warm summer sea breeze.
Inside the house, I could hear the quiet, steady rhythm of classical music playing from the record player in the library.
I wore a comfortable cream wool sweater, my hair falling naturally around my shoulders, my face entirely whole, my heart completely at peace.
Vincent stepped out onto the sunlit deck behind me.
He wore a dark linen shirt, his silver hair catching the morning light, carrying his own cup of coffee. He stepped close, wrapping his arm smoothly around my waist, pulling me back against his broad, warm chest.
I leaned my head back against his shoulder, closing my eyes, letting out a long, contented breath.
“What are you thinking about?” Vincent asked softly into my hair, his hand resting gently over mine on the wooden railing.
“I was thinking about thirty dollars,” I murmured, turning my head slightly to look up into his dark, warm eyes.
Vincent smiled—a deep, genuine smile that reached his eyes, erasing ten years of sorrow from his face.
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“Thirty dollars was the best investment I ever made,” he whispered, leaning down to press a soft, lingering kiss against the faint, tiny silver scar at the corner of my mouth.
We stood together on the edge of the water as the morning sun rose high into the clear blue sky, illuminating the endless horizon before us—a world where no one was hiding, no one was bleeding, and the dark was gone forever.
