Page 180 of At First Spark
“You never tried to take this from me,” I say quietly.
His brow furrows slightly. “Wasn’t mine to take.”
“Most people wouldn’t have seen it that way.”
“I’m not most people.”
No, he’s not. That’s the point.
I let out a slow breath, the kind that feels like letting go of something I didn’t realize I was still holding.
“I used to think staying in one place meant giving something up,” I say, remembering all the fights with my now nonexistent mother and how they tried to control my every move.
My phone buzzes faintly from where it rests on the table beside the porch rail. I almost ignore it. Almost. But something makes me glance down.
Unknown Number.
Holt notices the shift in my expression immediately. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I say slowly, though I’m not entirely sure yet.
I open the message, then freeze.
It’s the marshal.
CBC Marshal:I got confirmation this morning. Michael accepted a plea deal. Accessory charges stuck. Conspiracy too. His firm terminated him after the investigation became public.
The words blur slightly for a second. A strange, quiet kind of release I wasn’t expecting anymore.
Holt’s hand settles automatically at my lower back. “What is it?”
I look up at him.
“It’s over,” I say softly.
His expression shifts immediately, reading something in mine before I even explain.
“The investigation?”
I nod once. The wind shifts softly around us, carrying the distant sound of laughter from the lawn.
“He lost everything,” I say quietly, staring back down at the message. “His job. His reputation. Everything he spent years trying to control.”
Holt stays quiet. He knows me well enough now to understand this isn’t satisfaction. Not really. Just closure.
“He really thought if he scared me enough, I’d go back,” I whisper.
“You didn’t.”
No, I didn’t.
That realization settles differently now than it would have a year ago. I lock the screen and set the phone back down without answering. No part of me needs the last word anymore.
His gaze sharpens just slightly. “And now what do you think staying means?”
I look around at the life that has grown here in ways I didn’t plan, but somehow feel more right than anything I could have.
“Now I think it means choosing what’s worth keeping.”
