Brennan. They pushed through the crowd toward the exit, leaving behind a buzz of excited whispers and the clicking of camera phones. I stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of dozens of stares, then walked back into the auditorium to watch the rest of my daughter's performance. She was magnificent in the second half, hitting every move perfectly, smiling like she meant it. When it was over, I stood and applauded with everyone else, proud of her talent and her resilience.
Afterward in in the parking lot, she found me by my truck. Why did you do that? She asked. Her voice was quiet, not angry like I'd expected. Because they needed to hear the truth.
Everyone's going to be talking about this. They were already talking about it. Now at least they're talking about the right things. Tess was quiet for a long moment, staring at the ground. Curtis has been lying to Mom about a lot of things.
She really loves him. She thinks she does. There's a difference. Another silence, longer this time. Then, can I come home?
I felt something loosen in my chest, a knot I hadn't realized was there. Of course you can. It's your home. She got in the passenger seat of my truck and we drove home together through streets that felt familiar again. The The was dark and empty, but didn't feel like a tomb anymore.
It felt like a place where healing might be possible. That night after Tess had gone to bed, I sat at the kitchen table with Ray's folder spread out in front of me. I had enough information to destroy Curtis completely. To expose every lie and ruin every relationship he'd built on deception. But I wanted more than just destruction.
I wanted justice. And justice I was learning required patience. My phone buzzed with a text from Tyler. Heard about the school thing.
Nice work. What's next? I typed back with the grand finale. It was time to end this once and for all.