Still weak.
But stronger.
Selina walked in and immediately started crying.
She reached for Phedra.
Phedra stepped back.
“No.”
Selina stopped.
Phedra sat.
Then said.
“I want to hear you say what happened.”
Selina cried harder.
“I failed you.”
Phedra shook her head.
“That’s too soft.”
Selina looked stunned.
Phedra continued.
“You took my phone.”
“Yes.”
“You stopped me from calling Damian.”
“Yes.”
“You took my necklace.”
“Yes.”
“You stopped paying for treatment.”
Selina whispered.
“Yes.”
“You made me sleep in the shed.”
“Yes.”
“You controlled my food.”
Selina covered her face.
“Yes.”
Phedra’s voice remained calm.
“Then say it.”
Selina looked up.
Phedra said.
“You punished me for being sick.”
The room was silent.
Finally, Selina whispered.
“Yes.”
Phedra nodded.
“That’s what I needed to hear.”
Then she stood.
The meeting was over.
PART 36
Outside, I asked.
“Do you feel better?”
Phedra thought for a moment.
“No.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No.”
That made sense.
Truth does not always feel good.
Sometimes it simply stops the lie from growing.
PART 37
Six months after I returned, Phedra’s scans showed improvement.
Not a miracle.
Progress.
Her doctor used cautious words.
Responding.
Stable.
Encouraging.
I loved every one of them.
We celebrated with takeout.
She ordered too much food.
Then looked guilty.
I noticed.
“Order dessert.”
She laughed.
“I can’t finish this.”
“Then we keep leftovers.”
She looked at me.
“No one takes it away?”
“Never.”
That became one of our little jokes.
But neither of us forgot why it existed.
PART 38
The legal case ended in pieces.
Godfrey agreed to repay a significant portion of the money tied to the shop.
He sold the SUV.
Later, he sold part of the business equipment.
The shop survived.
Smaller.
Much smaller.
Selina entered a repayment agreement connected to funds traced into the house and personal expenses.
There were also criminal consequences tied to financial misuse and treatment of Phedra.
Not everything resulted in charges.
Some conduct was morally obvious but legally harder.
That frustrated me.
Renee reminded me.
“A courtroom cannot punish every kind of cruelty.”
I hated that sentence.
But again, she was right.
PART 39
I returned to Canada once.
Only once.
I had belongings there.
My supervisor offered me my position back.
Good money.
Long shifts.
I stood outside the plant.
Looked at the smoke rising over the buildings.
Then called him.
“I’m not coming back.”
He understood.
I had spent four years believing sacrifice meant distance.
Now I wanted a different life.
PART 40
We used part of my actual compensation money and savings to rent a modest house near Phedra’s hospital.
Nothing extravagant.
Two bedrooms.
A small yard.
A porch.
Phedra chose yellow curtains for the kitchen.
The first time she cooked again, she made soup.
I offered to help.
She pointed at a chair.
“Sit.”
I obeyed.
Then she smiled.
“You worked four years.”
“I can chop onions.”
“No.”
“Today you sit.”
So I sat.
She cooked slowly.
We ate together.
No one counted portions.
No one threatened to subtract food.
No one stood over her.
It was the best meal I had eaten in years.
PART 41
My relationship with Carina changed.
She visited often.
She apologized for believing Selina.
Phedra told her.
“You believed what was easiest.”
Carina nodded.
“Yes.”
“I should have asked you directly.”
“Yes.”
Carina did not defend herself.
That mattered.
Over time, Phedra allowed her back into our life.
Carefully.
Trust returned in teaspoons.
Not buckets.
PART 42
Godfrey and I did not repair things.
Not fully.
He sent money according to the agreement.
He occasionally sent messages.
Most were practical.
One year later, he wrote.
I think about the backyard a lot.
I stared at the message.
Then replied.
Good.
He answered.
I deserve that.
That was the closest we came to honesty.
PART 43
Selina changed more slowly.
Losing control of money changed her circumstances.
She sold several things.
The SUV disappeared first.
