She had not gotten her marriage back.

She had not erased those terrible months of fear, and she wouldn’t pretend they hadn’t happened.

But she had gotten back her home, and her children’s security, and one hard-won certainty she planned to keep for the rest of her life — that you can stand your ground completely, refuse to be robbed of a single thing you’re owed, and still not let it turn you cruel.

She opened a fresh notebook and started a list of what to pack for May, for the trip up to Hocking Hills.

For the first time in a year, it wasn’t a list for surviving. It was a list for something coming that she actually wanted.

Outside, a soft spring rain was falling over Canton.