Chapter 7 - Under a Clear Sky
Later that evening, after the gala concluded and the guests had dispersed into the crisp autumn night, Tommy and I walked out onto the private rooftop terrace of our new city penthouse.
The skyline stretched out before us in a glittering expanse of neon and starlight—vast, open, and entirely unburdened by the dark shadows of Greenwich or the ghosts of the Vance dynasty.
Tommy leaned against the glass railing, looking up at the clear night sky, breathing in the cool air with lungs that were completely clear and strong.
"Mom?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, buddy?"
"Do you think we'll ever go back to the big house?"
I walked over, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him close against my side.
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"We never need to look backward, Tommy," I told him softly, looking out at the endless horizon where the city lights met the stars. "We have everything we need right here. We built this together, from the ground up. And no one can ever take that away from us."
Tommy smiled, leaning his head against my shoulder as a gentle breeze swept across the rooftop, carrying the promise of a bright, unbreakable future.
