Natalie ate with real appetite, listening to his warm voice, and for the first time in a very long while, she felt completely at ease. Across from her sat an honest man who didn’t hide his phone and didn’t treat her like a household appliance. Before long, spring arrived in full force, bringing muddy sidewalks, birdsong, and the smell of sun-warmed pavement.
By the time everything was in bloom, Natalie had fully settled into her new life. She hung cheerful curtains, put African violets on the windowsill, and spent Sunday mornings at the farmers market, savoring the independence she had paid such a high price to win. She and Alex began seeing each other almost every day, walking through green parks and talking about everything and nothing.
For a while, she spared him the full truth about the darkness she had come out of. But one evening in April, during a walk along the river, Alex finally told her plainly that he had fallen for her. Holding her hands carefully, he said he was willing to wait as long as she needed, because being with her made him feel at peace again.
Life kept moving. Natalie sold the large condo downtown at a very good price. With the money, she bought a comfortable one-bedroom place in a greener suburb, where flowers bloomed beneath her first-floor windows. Vera and her quiet husband, Dan, helped her move the boxes.
After settling in, Natalie interviewed for and landed a position as senior administrator at a private medical clinic with a solid salary and benefits. She now visited the glass office building only as a guest, usually to share a cappuccino with her favorite engineer. One day, Vera called with a piece of gossip: she had seen a worn-out, older-looking Greg at a flea market selling cheap phone cases.
The news of his complete downfall stirred neither joy nor pity in Natalie—only a deep, steady emptiness. On a bright day in May, she brought a bundle of daisies to her sister’s grave. The silver pendant at her neck felt cool against her skin, reminding her of the hard but necessary justice she had carried out for Laura…
