Chapter 13 - THE HOUSE WITHOUT GUNS
Two years after the wedding, Edmund and Vivien moved into a smaller house overlooking Lake Michigan.
It had no armed guards at the doors.
No secret meeting rooms.
No hidden weapons.
Just sunlight.
Books.
A garden.
And a kitchen Vivien insisted on painting yellow.
Edmund had spent years cooperating with investigators and restructuring his legitimate businesses under independent oversight.
The process had cost him money.
Influence.
And relationships he'd once considered permanent.
But he had gained something more valuable.
Peace.
Vivien returned to medical research.
She established a foundation in her mother's name to support victims of violence and exploitation.
Edmund helped fund it through transparent, independently administered donations.
One evening, Vivien found him sitting in the garden.
He was reading one of Isabella's old books.
She sat beside him.
“What are you thinking?”
He smiled.
“About my sister.”
Vivien leaned against him.
“She'd be proud of you.”
Edmund looked toward the lake.
“I hope so.”
May you like
Then he kissed her forehead.
And for the first time in decades, he believed it might be true.
