Chapter 8 - Step Out Into the Sun
The heavy brass doors at the back of the courthouse opened, and Noah stepped out into the crisp winter air.
The bright sunlight hit his face, making him squint after years spent under the artificial fluorescent lights of death row. He stopped at the top of the stone steps, taking a deep, long breath of outside air.
Camera flashes went off like a wall of lightning, and reporters shouted questions from behind the police barricades.
Noah didn't look at the cameras. He didn't answer the questions.
His eyes swept across the crowd until he found us standing near the bottom of the steps.
I took Mia’s hand, and together we walked up the stairs to meet him.
Noah dropped to his knees right there on the cold stone.
Mia hesitated for a second, looking at the man she had only ever seen through thick glass or on a computer screen. Then she took a step forward, held out her arms, and threw herself into his embrace.
Noah pulled her close, burying his face in her neck as he sobbed openly.
"I'm sorry, Mia," he wept, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry it took me so long to come home."
"It's okay, Daddy," Mia whispered, holding onto his shoulders with her small hands. "I brought the phone."
Noah let out a tearful laugh, pulling back to look at her face. He touched her cheeks, running his fingers over her hair as if ensuring she was real and not a dream he would wake up from in his cell.
Then he stood up and looked at me.
We stood a foot apart, eight years of distance, pain, and unspoken regret standing between us. I had divorced him. I had doubted him at times when the evidence seemed overwhelming.
"Lauren," he said gently.
"Noah," I breathed, my voice barely audible above the noise of the crowd. "I'm so sorry I didn't fight harder at the beginning."
May you like
Noah shook his head, reaching out and taking my hand. "You kept Mia safe. You brought her to see me. You listened when she brought you that phone. You saved my life, Lauren. Both of you did."
I stepped into his arms, resting my head against his chest, hearing the steady, strong beat of his heart. The nightmare was finally over.
