Chapter 16 - Aftermath
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Six months after the trial, Karen and I stood in front of a small building on the edge of town. A restaurant. Empty. Waiting.
"You sure about this?" she asked.
"No."
"Good. Me neither."
We bought it anyway.
It took three months to renovate. New kitchen. New floors. New everything. We named it "Tony's." After Dad.
The opening was small. Just friends. Family. The people who'd stuck by us.
Jake came. Brought his wife. His kids. "Proud of you," he said.
Sophie came. She'd moved to the city. Started over. Working at a nonprofit. Helping people.
Danny was there too. Out on parole. Working at a warehouse. Trying to be better.
"You didn't have to invite me," he said.
"You're family."
"I tried to kill you."
"You tried to kill Karen. There's a difference."
He laughed. Sad. "I'm sorry."
"I know."
We hugged. First time in years.
The restaurant was a success. Not huge. Not fancy. But successful.
We served Italian food. Dad's recipes. The ones he'd taught me when I was a kid.
Every night, before we opened, I'd stand in the kitchen and think about him. About Mom. About everything that had happened.
I'd think about the freezer. The note. The blue lips.
And I'd think about Dad's voice. On the video.
I love you. I love you and Marcus both.
We survived. We fought. We won.
But the cost...
The cost was everything.
I walked out of the kitchen. Into the dining room. Karen was at the bar. Pouring wine.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
We opened the doors.
Life went on.
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