Chapter 14 - THE HOUSE WITHOUT GUARDS
A year after the night Nora climbed forty-two floors, Raphael sold his penthouse.
He bought a house outside the city.
Not enormous.
Not surrounded by armed guards.
Just a beautiful home with a garden, a library, and a kitchen large enough for two people to argue over dinner.
Nora loved it.
Especially the stairs.
There were only twelve.
And Raphael had installed a handrail.
She laughed when she saw it.
“You're ridiculous.”
He smiled.
“Preventative maintenance.”
Nora shook her head.
“You've been spending too much time with me.”
“Not nearly enough.”
She kissed him.
Her ankle had healed, although she still had occasional stiffness.
Her ribs no longer hurt.
The scars above her eyebrow had faded.
But Raphael never forgot what she'd endured.
Not because he wanted her to remember the pain.
Because he wanted to remember what courage looked like.
It looked like a woman with broken bones refusing to give up.
May you like
It looked like loyalty without fear.
And it looked like love before either of them knew its name.
