A—F
B—M
C—F
D—F
E—M
F—M
G—F
I stare at the black ink on white paper that gives a huge glimpse of my future. Four girls and three boys will grow up as safely and protected as I can keep them. They won’t know about my past, or this pivotal moment, where we killed Mikhail until much later, if ever.
“Let’s go home.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders while leading her toward the stairwell.
The compound smolders behind us as we emerge into cool night air. We’re simply grateful to be alive and together with the knowledge that no enemy will ever again come this close to destroying what we’ve built. The war is finally over, and we’ve earned the right to choose love over fear, family over vendetta, and hope over the darkness that once threatened to consume everyone I love. It feels liberating to know everything from this point forward is practically a blank slate, and I can write a different future that’s not influenced by my past.
