Chapter 10 - A Safe Place to Land
A year later, the sun was setting over the mountains, casting a warm golden glow across our backyard.
I sat on the wooden porch, holding a warm cup of coffee, watching Lily run through the grass with our newly adopted Golden Retriever puppy. Her laughter rang clear and free through the mountain air—a sound I once feared I would never hear again.
My phone buzzed on the table beside me. I picked it up.
A notification popped up from our new, state-of-the-art home security system:
MOTION DETECTED – BACKYARD.
I looked down at the live camera feed on my screen. It showed Lily kneeling in the grass, holding up a bright yellow dandelion, looking directly into the lens with a glowing, radiant smile.
She waved at the camera, then looked up toward the porch where I was sitting.
"Dad! Look what I found!" she called out, running up the porch steps toward me.
I put my phone face down on the table, stood up, and opened my arms wide.
May you like
"I see it, sweetie," I smiled, lifting her up into a big hug.
The darkness of the past was entirely gone. We were home, we were safe, and no one would ever separate us again.
