Chapter 12 - THE HOUSE WITH THE YELLOW KITCHEN
The divorce was finalized the following year.
It wasn't simple.
There were financial agreements.
Custody arrangements.
Property divisions.
And many difficult conversations.
Teresa accepted responsibility for her actions.
She continued counseling.
Worked to rebuild her relationship with Chloe.
And complied with the legal obligations arising from the investigation.
I didn't forgive everything.
Not all at once.
But I stopped wanting her to suffer.
Chloe needed a mother who could become better.
And I wanted that for her.
We arranged shared parenting time under a plan designed around Chloe's safety and stability.
Meanwhile, I bought a smaller house.
Not a mansion.
Not a gated estate.
A four-bedroom home with a yellow kitchen and a backyard big enough for a dog.
Chloe loved it.
She ran through the rooms.
Opened every closet.
Then stopped in the kitchen.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we paint my room purple?”
I smiled.
“Absolutely.”
She grinned.
“Really?”
“Really.”
We spent the next weekend painting.
I got purple paint on my shoes.
Chloe got it in her hair.
Grandma laughed so hard she had to sit down.
That evening, we ordered pizza.
Ate on the floor.
Watched an old movie.
Chloe fell asleep beside me.
I looked around.
No guards.
No security gates.
No men waiting for instructions.
Just a house.
A child.
A quiet evening.
For the first time in years, I felt rich.
Salazar Freight had become smaller.
Much smaller.
We sold several terminals.
Closed questionable contracts.
Rebuilt our compliance systems.
Some employees left.
Others stayed.
The company no longer made headlines for its size.
But it paid people honestly.
Moved freight legally.
And gave me enough time to attend Chloe's school events.
One afternoon, she brought home a drawing.
It showed a house.
A dog.
Two people holding hands.
I smiled.
“Who's that?”
“Me and you.”
I pointed at the dog.
“And who's this?”
She grinned.
“Our future dog.”
I laughed.
“Future dog?”
She nodded seriously.
“His name is Biscuit.”
Two weeks later, Biscuit came home.
A rescue dog with enormous ears and absolutely no understanding of personal space.
Chloe adored him.
May you like
So did I.
And the yellow kitchen became the center of our new life.
