Chapter 13: The Echo of the Past**
A year passed before the past made its final ripple.
A letter arrived from the state correctional facility. It was from Alana, requesting a visit to discuss terms of a potential pardon petition.
Julian held the letter over the woodstove in the kitchen. For a brief moment, he remembered the woman who had once stood beside him in designer dresses, obsessed with social standing and control. He felt no anger toward her anymore, only an immense pity for someone trapped in the prison of their own greed.
He let the paper drop into the glowing embers. It curled, blackened, and vanished into smoke within seconds.
"Uncle Julian, look!" Lily called from the living room.
Julian walked in to find Lily standing proudly in front of an easel of her own. She had painted a bright, chaotic swirl of pink and blue, with two stick figures standing hand in hand in front of a yellow house.
"Who are they?" Julian asked, kneeling beside her.
"That's you," Lily said, pointing to the taller figure with a lopsided smile. "And that's me. And mommy is the sun."
May you like
Julian pulled her into a warm hug. "That is the best painting this house has ever seen."
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