Chapter 19
Two years after Derek’s sentencing, Suzanne was released.
Olivia told me first.
Then Natalie.
Then the victim notification system.
I expected panic.
It came.
Then it passed.
Suzanne requested a mediated apology.
I said no.
Then months later, I said yes.
Not for her.
For me.
We met in Olivia’s office.
Maya sat beside me.
Suzanne looked different.
Plain clothes.
No false lashes.
No demanding smile.
She sat across from me with her hands folded.
“Thank you for coming,” she said.
“I didn’t come for you.”
“I know.”
Good.
Progress already.
She read from one page.
Her voice trembled.
She admitted asking for my card knowing Derek would punish me if I refused.
She admitted helping Patricia pressure Natalie.
She admitted spending money stolen from women and calling it family support.
She cried once.
Stopped herself.
Kept reading.
“I am sorry,” she said. “Not because I got caught. Because I understand now that I helped make your home unsafe.”
I watched her.
The apology did not fix the scar.
It did not erase breakfast.
It did not give Natalie back the years she hid.
But it placed guilt where it belonged.
That had value.
“I don’t forgive you today,” I said.
She nodded.
“I understand.”
“But I accept that this apology was real.”
She cried then.
Quietly.
I left feeling lighter than expected.
That evening, I made coffee for the first time.
My hand shook when I poured.
Some drops splashed the counter.
I froze.
Then I breathed.
It was only coffee.
Not a weapon.
Not a warning.
Just coffee.
I carried the cup to the balcony and watched the Miami water turn gold.
Natalie texted.
How did mediation go?
I replied.
I made coffee.
She answered immediately.
That sounds like a victory.
May you like
I smiled.
It was.
