Chapter 18 - A Life No One Owns
Months passed.
Norah took control of a legitimate freight company created from assets recovered during the investigation.
She hired carefully.
Paid fairly.
Built something clean from the ruins of something corrupt.
Leo remained in her life.
Their relationship changed slowly.
No ownership.
No rescue fantasy.
No debt.
One evening, he reached for her hand.
Then stopped.
Norah noticed.
"You can."
He took it.
Her fingers closed around his.
Simple.
Voluntary.
Everything Arthur had never understood.
Norah realized she no longer associated touch only with fear.
That might have been the greatest victory of all.
But one place remained unfinished.
The shipyard.
May you like
The place where Arthur had named her price.
Norah wanted to return.
