Chapter 12 - THE HOUSE WITH NO LOCKED DOORS
Two years after Claire's attack, I sold the Hale estate.
The house had twenty-three rooms.
A private theater.
A marble staircase.
And enough security cameras to make a prison look welcoming.
It had also been the place where Claire nearly died.
I couldn't imagine asking her to return.
Instead, I bought a smaller house near the northern coast.
It had wide windows.
A garden.
And a kitchen that looked out over the water.
No hidden offices.
No underground meeting rooms.
No armed guards stationed at every entrance.
Just a home.
When I showed Claire the property, she walked through it slowly.
She stopped in the kitchen.
"There's sunlight."
I smiled.
"Yes."
She looked toward the garden.
"And flowers."
"I thought you might like that."
She turned toward me.
"Vincent, why are you showing me this?"
I took a breath.
"Because I want you to know what my life looks like now."
She studied me.
"Are you asking me to move in?"
"No."
Her eyebrows rose.
I smiled faintly.
"I'm asking whether you'd like to help me choose curtains."
She laughed.
A real laugh.
The sound I'd missed more than anything.
We spent the afternoon arguing about paint colors.
Claire hated the dark gray I'd chosen for the living room.
"It looks like a corporate conference room."
I frowned.
"It's elegant."
"It's depressing."
I looked around.
"Fine. What color?"
"Warm white."
"That's not a color."
She laughed.
"Yes, it is."
That evening, we sat on the porch watching the sunset.
Claire leaned against the railing.
"I like this place."
I nodded.
"So do I."
She looked at me.
"Do you ever miss the old life?"
I considered the question.
"Sometimes."
She turned.
"Really?"
I nodded.
"I miss the certainty. The feeling that I could solve any problem by giving an order."
She studied me.
"And now?"
I looked toward the water.
"Now I know some problems can't be ordered away."
She smiled faintly.
"That's progress."
I laughed.
"I'll take it."
Three months later, Claire asked whether she could stay for a weekend.
I said yes.
Then spent the entire day cleaning a house that was already spotless.
Theo watched me.
"Boss, you're nervous."
I glared at him.
"Go home."
He laughed.
"Definitely nervous."
Claire arrived Friday evening carrying a small suitcase.
She stood in the doorway.
"Hi."
I smiled.
"Hi."
She looked around.
"Still no gray walls?"
"Not a single one."
She laughed.
Then stepped inside.
May you like
It wasn't a return to the past.
It was the beginning of something new.
