Chapter 10 - The Unshakable HomeA year later, I sat on my balcony, watching the sunset over the Denver skyline. The air was cool, and for the first time in my life, I felt truly, profoundly at peace.
My phone rang. It was an unknown number. I hesitated, then answered.
"Valerie? It’s Diego." His voice sounded hollow, like a man speaking from the bottom of a well.
"I’m hanging up, Diego," I said calmly.
"Wait! I just... I just wanted to tell you I’m in prison. And every day, I think about that plate. I think about how stupid I was."
"You weren't stupid, Diego," I interrupted. "You were entitled. And that’s a much harder thing to cure."
I hung up the phone and blocked the number.
May you like
I didn't care about his remorse. I didn't care about his apologies. Those were his burdens to carry, not mine. I walked back into my condo, feeling the solid wood of the floor beneath my feet. I had been tested, broken, and pushed to the edge, but I had refused to collapse.
I was Valerie Carter, and I was the architect of my own existence. And this home, this life, was built to last forever.
