The Clean Slate
Six months passed.
The skeletal towers of Harbor View were systematically dismantled, their concrete crushed and recycled to reinforce the coastal sea wall protecting the lower harbor. In their place, groundbreaking began on the Harbor Commons—a low-rise, sustainable residential community designed with wide public courtyards, green spaces, and deep, solid bedrock foundations.
Helena stood in the center of the construction site wearing a white hard hat and work boots, unrolling a set of large blueprints over a wooden work table. The morning sun was bright, reflecting off the calm waters of the bay.
Sarah walked over, carrying two paper cups of hot coffee. "The soil compaction tests came back from the state lab this morning. Zero subsidence. The foundation is rock solid."
Helena smiled, taking a sip of the coffee. "It should be. We dug down eighty feet to hit granite."
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"You look different, Helena," Sarah noted with a warm smile. "Lighter."
"It's easier to build when you don't have to look over your shoulder," Helena admitted, looking out over the water where work barges were peacefully placing stone along the shoreline. "For a long time, I thought justice was about tearing down the people who built the lies. But justice is really just the work of making sure things are done right, piece by piece."
