Leonard’s voice trembled. “Are you saying someone cursed my mother.”
June opened her eyes. “I am saying someone carried hatred strong enough to leave a wound that doctors cannot see.”
Catherine suddenly gasped sharply, her body jerking. June’s hands closed into a fist in midair as if grabbing something invisible. She pulled back with a sharp motion. Leonard saw it then. In June’s palm lay a small dark object. It looked like hardened tar, round and glossy, swallowing the room’s light.
“What is that,” Leonard whispered.
June’s face was pale. “It is the knot of the harm done to her,” she said. “It no longer belongs inside.”
Catherine exhaled a long breath. Her body relaxed. Her eyes opened, clear for the first time in weeks.
“Leonard,” she said softly. “The weight is gone.”
Leonard pressed his forehead to hers, tears breaking free.
“You are safe Mom,” he whispered.
When he looked up again, June had wrapped the dark object in a cloth.
“I will dispose of it,” she said. “Do not ask how. Just know it will not return.”
Leonard stared at her. “You saved her life,” he said. “Tell me what you want. Money, a new home, anything.”