“I was. For a while. But I rebuilt my life. I own a company now.”

She pulled up to a grand house and turned to me. “I needed to know. You’re pregnant—I saw it instantly. If you were truly kind, you’d help a homeless woman. If my son was still a monster, he’d show it.”

Tears filled my eyes. I was finally free.

***

Weeks passed, and I was still adjusting to freedom—waking up without fear, drinking coffee without judgment.

Then, one afternoon, the doorbell rang. Alice and I exchanged a knowing look. Carter. He looked awful.

“I was wrong,” he admitted, shifting uncomfortably. “I… I see that now. I want to make things right.”

“Make things right?” Alice repeated, unimpressed.

Carter looked down in shame.  “I know I messed up. I know I hurt you both. But I don’t want to be this person anymore.”

“You want to fix things? Start by going to therapy. And maybe… actually help the homeless instead of throwing them out.”

“I’ll do it. For our baby.”

Maybe he would change. Maybe he wouldn’t. But either way, my future was finally mine.