Ryan reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “You called when you were ready.”
The morning sunlight poured through the kitchen window, illuminating every corner of the room. Nothing looked broken. The cabinets were intact. The dishes were clean.
But something fundamental had changed.
I walked to the front door after Ryan left and locked it gently.
Then I leaned my forehead against the wood and whispered the words I had rehearsed in my mind for years.
“I’m free.”
This time, it wasn’t a desperate wish or a fragile hope.
It was the truth.
And it felt like stepping into daylight after living too long in the dark.
