Chapter 35 - The Permanence of Peace
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The evening air was warm, filled with the gentle sound of crickets and the distant hum of the city.
Arthur sat in the heavy wooden rocking chair on his back porch, holding a glass of iced tea.
Through the open kitchen window, he could hear the chaotic sounds of his children.
Maya and Ethan were arguing loudly over how to properly boil pasta, insulting each other’s cooking skills with brutal, hilarious affection.
Arthur closed his eyes, letting the sound wash over him.
He thought about his father, Thomas Bennett, who had died trying to protect him from a monster.
He thought about Charles Whitmore, who had died entirely alone in a cold prison cell, his empire of lies completely dismantled.
He thought about Victoria, a ghost of a nightmare that no longer held any power over his reality.
And he thought about the choice he had made years ago.
The choice to stand between two terrified, unwanted children and the woman who demanded they be thrown onto the street.
Arthur took a sip of his tea, opening his eyes to look at the stars beginning to dot the night sky.
He hadn't just defeated the villains of his story.
Defeating them would have only left him with empty ruins and a hollow victory.
He had achieved something infinitely more difficult, and infinitely more beautiful.
He had built a sanctuary.
The screen door squeaked open, and Maya stepped out onto the porch, holding a bowl of pasta.
“Ethan burnt the garlic bread, so we’re just eating carbs,” she laughed, handing him the bowl.
Ethan walked out a second later, carrying his own bowl.
“The oven is defective,” Ethan argued, sitting on the porch steps.
“You’re an architect, build a better oven,” Maya retorted, sitting beside him.
Arthur watched them eat, smiling in the quiet dark.
The empire his father had built was gone. The fortune Charles had stolen was heavily regulated and given away.
But sitting on this porch, surrounded by the laughter of the children he had chosen to love, Arthur knew he was the wealthiest man in the world.
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The war was over.
They were home.
