Chapter 7 - Justice Was Served—And I Began To Heal**
The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of police interviews, court hearings, and news stories.
The whole country was fascinated by the case.
The tech billionaire who had been almost murdered by his fiancée, saved by a four-year-old girl who knew sign language.
Vanessa’s trial was quick.
The evidence against her was overwhelming.
She was found guilty on all counts: two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and multiple counts of fraud.
The judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
She would never hurt anyone again.
I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders the day the verdict was announced.
For months, I had been living in fear, not knowing what was happening to me, not knowing if I could trust the woman I loved.
Now it was over.
She was gone.
And I was alive.
My hearing started to come back slowly.
David told me that since I had stopped taking the cisplatin early enough, most of the damage was reversible.
The ringing in my ears faded.
Voices became clear again.
I could hear music, laughter, the sound of wind in the trees.
Every sound felt like a gift.
I threw myself back into work at Mercer Ridge.
I had missed it.
The challenge.
The excitement.
The feeling of building something.
My team was happy to have me back, healthy and strong.
But there was still something missing.
Or rather, someone.
Nora and Lily were still living in the apartment I had rented for them.
I visited them every weekend.
Lily would run to the door and throw her arms around me every time I arrived.
She would show me her drawings, tell me about school, teach me new signs I had forgotten.
Nora would cook dinner, and we would eat together, laughing and talking.
They had become my family.
And I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
Nora had gotten a new job at a daycare center, something she loved.
She was happy.
Safe.
But I could see she was still worried about the future.
Still worried that something would happen, that Vanessa would somehow come back, that they would have to run again.
I wanted to take that fear away.
Forever.
One Sunday afternoon, after we had finished eating, I sat down with Nora in the living room while Lily played with her stuffed rabbit on the floor.
“Nora,” I said, taking her hand gently.
“I have something I want to ask you. Something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.”
She looked at me, her eyes curious.
“What is it, Ethan?”
“I don’t want you and Lily to live in that small apartment anymore,” I said.
“I want you to move into the estate. With me. There’s more than enough room. You would have your own wing. Lily could have the biggest bedroom in the house, with a garden right outside. You wouldn’t have to work if you didn’t want to. You could just… be happy. Be safe.”
Nora’s eyes filled with tears.
“Ethan… we can’t impose on you like that—”
“You’re not imposing,” I said firmly.
“You saved my life. Both of you. I owe you everything. And I love having you in my life. I want you there. Lily deserves a big home to run around in. And you deserve to never have to worry about anything ever again.”
Lily had stopped playing and was watching us.
She stood up and walked over, climbing into my lap.
“Can we have a dog?” she signed, her eyes big and hopeful.
I laughed and hugged her tight.
“We can have as many dogs as you want.”
She clapped her hands and looked at her mother.
“Please, Mama? Please say yes.”
Nora looked at her daughter, then at me, tears streaming down her face.
She nodded.
May you like
“Okay,” she whispered.
“We’d love to move in with you.”
