Edward went.
Every single day.
He sat in the front row and stared at them until they looked away.
Marie stayed with Claire and Lily.
The cottage became home.
Claire learned how to be a mother without fear.
She learned how to let Lily cry without panicking.
She learned how to sleep without nightmares.
Slowly, the stitches healed.
Her body remembered how to be strong.
Lily grew.
Her eyes opened wider.
Her cries turned into coos.
One morning, she smiled at Claire.
A real smile.
Claire cried for an hour.
When the trial ended, Edward came home and sat down across from her.
“It’s over.”
Claire looked up.
“What happened?”
“Your father got three years. Your mother got two. Vanessa got probation and community service.”
Claire felt nothing.
Then everything.
Then nothing again.
“The judge ordered full restitution,” Edward continued. “Every dollar will be returned to you. Plus the college fund. Plus damages.”
Claire’s hands shook.
“How much?”
“One point three million dollars.”
The number didn’t feel real.
“What do I do with that?”
