Chapter 26 - The Return
The rain returned to the Virginia hills as night fell over the Sterling Estate once again.
The front gates clicked open automatically as a single dark grey sedan pulled up the long gravel driveway.
The car stopped near the grand marble steps, its engine idling softly in the quiet night air.
Vivian stood on the porch, wearing her Navy dress uniform, her hands resting quietly at her sides.
The driver’s door opened slowly, and a tall man in a dark trench coat stepped out into the rain.
He pulled off his cap, revealing short dark hair, a scarred jawline, and the familiar, intense hazel eyes of her husband.
“Hello, Vivian,” Edward Vance said, his voice deep, raspy, and filled with a strange, tragic calm.
Vivian took a slow, trembling breath, her eyes fixed on the man she had buried six months ago.
“You let me mourn you, Edward,” Vivian said, her voice shaking with profound pain.
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“I had to let you mourn me, my love,” Edward replied, taking a step toward the steps. “It was the only way to keep you and the girls alive.”
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