Chapter 10 - Healing the Past
Six months after the sentencing, the warm sunshine of early summer returned to the East Coast.
Landon and I drove down to his mother Eleanor’s sprawling horse farm in Middleburg, Virginia. The air was fresh with the scent of sweetgrass and clover, completely removed from the noise and corruption of Manhattan.
Eleanor met us on the wide wrap-around porch, wearing a sunhat and gardens gloves. She looked healthier and happier than she had in twenty years, freed from Victor's toxic control.
"Aubrey, my dear!" Eleanor greeted me warmly, pulling me into a long, loving hug. "Look at you, you look positively glowing."
"Thank you, Eleanor," I smiled, hugging her back. "How are you enjoying the country life?"
"It saved my soul," Eleanor smiled softly, walking us toward the patio table where iced tea and fresh pastries were laid out. "For thirty years, I turned a blind eye to Victor's coldness because I thought it was necessary for our family's security. Losing him was the best thing that ever happened to this family."
Landon sat down beside me, wrapping his arm around my chair. "Mom, we came down to tell you something special."
I pulled out an ivory envelope from my purse and placed it on the table.
May you like
Eleanor opened it, her eyes filling with tears as she read the gold-embossed lettering: The Wedding of Aubrey Sterling and Landon Vance — September 18th.
"We're keeping it small," Landon said softly. "Right here in your garden. Just twenty people who actually care about us."
