Chapter 14 - The Anniversary
A year to the day after the incident, the weather was ironically beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky.
Ryan had taken the day off work. He and Sarah decided not to treat the day as a grim anniversary, but as a celebration of their resilience. They took Leo to the local zoo, spending the afternoon pointing out the elephants and buying oversized cotton candy.
When they returned home, the house was quiet and perfectly secure. There was no dread in Ryan’s chest as he walked through the front door.
That night, after Leo was asleep, Ryan and Sarah sat on the back porch with two glasses of red wine, wrapped in a thick blanket against the autumn chill.
"Can you believe it's been a year?" Sarah asked softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.
May you like
"It feels like a lifetime ago," Ryan admitted, wrapping his arm around her. "You are so incredibly strong, Sarah. I marvel at you every day."
"We're strong," she corrected him gently. "We survived the storm."
