Chapter 9 - THE HOUSE COMES BACK TO LIFE
The first thing I did was repaint the kitchen.
Not because it needed it.
Because I wanted to.
Then I rehired Rosa.
When she walked through the front door, she cried.
"I thought you'd never call."
"I should have called sooner."
She hugged me.
That afternoon, I opened every window.
Fresh air moved through the rooms.
The house smelled like lemon and cedar instead of expensive perfume.
My daughter's childhood photographs returned to the hallway.
My grandmother's blue pottery came back to the shelves.
The garden was trimmed.
The pool was cleaned.
And for the first time in three years, I slept peacefully.
But then the phone rang.
It was Daniel.
"Mom?"
I heard sirens in the background.
"Where are you?"
"Outside Vanessa's apartment."
My heart stopped.
"Why?"
"She's being questioned."
I closed my eyes.
May you like
The consequences had arrived.
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