Chapter 19 - The Green Wall
Six months later.
The morning sun broke warm and bright over the skyline of Chicago.
I stood in the sunroom of my new apartment on the twenty-second floor, holding a fresh cup of coffee, looking out at the blue expanse of Lake Michigan.
The apartment was filled with light, fresh air, and plants sitting along every window sill.
One wall in the living room was painted a rich, deep forest green—the same color I had painted in my very first college room.
My phone rang on the kitchen counter.
I picked it up, seeing Maya’s name illuminated on the screen. We had reconnected three months after the trial, rebuilding a friendship that had been stolen from us ten years ago.
“Hey, Caitlyn,” Maya’s warm voice came through the speaker. “Are you ready for the gallery opening tonight?”
I looked at the canvas resting on the wooden easel near the window.
It was a finished painting—a large, vibrant oil piece depicting a young woman standing on the edge of an open field, holding an old leather boot, her face bathed in golden sunlight.
May you like
The title of the piece was painted neatly along the lower corner: Unbroken.
“I’m ready, Maya,” I smiled softly, feeling a deep, profound peace wash over my chest.
