Outside, the city sounded exactly as it always did: cars passing, street vendors, a dog barking in the distance, a woman calling to someone from the sidewalk.

Life went on, completely indifferent and completely generous.

Skylar drank slowly from her cup. The coffee was hot, but it no longer burned her.

And for the first time in many years, she understood that a house isn’t restored simply by changing the locks. It’s restored when a woman finally hears her own voice again, and discovers that saying no doesn’t make her a bad wife, a bad daughter-in-law, or a bad family member.

It makes her free.

THE END.