Now there was dirt beneath our fingernails.
Coffee on the patio.
Roses waiting to grow.
Something normal.
Daniel had recovered slowly.
Some injuries would remain.
Some memories would too.
But he had moved into a small house fifteen minutes away.
He spent Tuesdays with Sofia.
He taught her chess.
She beat him regularly.
Alexander claimed Daniel let her win.
Daniel claimed Alexander was jealous because Sofia destroyed him in six moves.
The brothers argued like men trying to recover twenty lost years.
Marcus returned to consulting.
Carmen accepted a plea agreement in exchange for extensive cooperation.
Thomas Vale Jr. received a lengthy prison sentence after evidence linked him to multiple financial crimes, conspiracy, and several historical m/u/rders.
Javier received a reduced sentence for cooperation.
Before entering custody, he mailed Sofia a letter.
She kept it unopened for three months.
Then one evening, she read it.
He wrote that he did love her.
