The morning after the verdict, I woke up feeling like I was floating.
For the first time in months, the weight was gone. The constant pressure, the endless fear, the gnawing anxiety that had become my constant companion—it had all lifted. We'd won. We'd actually won. Dr. Reed was going to prison. Elysian Fields was being dismantled. The survivors had been heard.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my hand on my belly. The twins were quiet, peaceful, as if they too could feel the shift in the air. Everything felt lighter. Everything felt possible. The sun was streaming through the windows, warm and golden.
Nicholas was already awake, watching me with those pale blue eyes that saw everything. There was a soft smile on his face, the kind I hadn't seen in weeks. "You're smiling."
"I'm happy." I turned to look at him, my hand reaching out to touch his face. "We won. We actually won. I can't quite believe it."
