The old echoes of complaint and contempt had been scrubbed out of it.

I took a sip and glanced across the granite toward the smart refrigerator, at the faint blinking green light. Then I looked down at my scarred left hand resting on the cool stone.

They had tried to break my spirit by destroying the tools of my trade. They had believed my worth was tied to serving them. Instead, with one swing of a hammer, they’d only smashed the invisible chains that bound me to them.

I was free.

Looking out over the sprawling city lights from a home that was now entirely mine, the quiet was broken by a sharp electronic chirp. My hospital pager, buzzing on the counter.

I didn’t sigh. I didn’t complain about the hour. I set down the wine, grabbed my keys, and walked out the front door, ready to save another life — leaving the ghosts of the past locked in the dark behind me.

THE END.