Chapter 5: A Clean Slate
The arrest was quick, quiet, and final. By the time the police cars pulled away from the estate, the house felt lighter, as if a great, dark weight had been lifted from its foundation.
Elias returned to the living room. Leo was still sitting there, watching the fire.
Elias sat on the rug, cross-legged, the way he used to do before the grief consumed the house. He picked up the broken frame from the floor, careful not to cut himself.
"We’ll get a new frame, Leo," Elias said softly. "A stronger one."
Leo looked at his father. The fear in his eyes had been replaced by a quiet, steady trust. "Are we okay, Dad?"
"We are better than okay," Elias promised. "We are clean."
He took the photograph from Leo’s hand and smoothed it out on the table. It was damaged, yes—there were creases and a slight tear in the corner—but it was whole. It was real.
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Elias held his son close, feeling the warmth of the fire and the sudden, sharp realization that he had reclaimed his life. The folder was gone, the stepmother was gone, and the lies were buried.
Outside, the mountain air was crisp, and the sky was beginning to clear. The mansion was no longer a cage; it was a home. And for the first time in three years, the Blackwoods weren't just surviving. They were beginning again.
