Chapter 14 - The Sanctuary
When Victoria returned home, she stood in the courtyard where Mia had nearly died.
The marble had been cleaned.
The blood was gone.
But she could still remember the scream.
She looked at the mansion.
"This place has to change."
Mia nodded.
"What do you want to do?"
Victoria looked toward the ocean.
"Turn it into something Eleanor never could have imagined."
The Sanctuary Project was born.
The mansion became a recovery center for women escaping abuse.
The guest rooms became safe housing.
The ballroom became a counseling center.
The old study became a legal aid office.
The courtyard became a garden.
Where Eleanor had once raised a baseball bat, children would someday play.
Victoria insisted on one rule.
"No woman entering this house will ever be asked what she did to deserve her pain."
Mia became director of the maternity program.
Evelyn planted roses along the eastern wall.
For the first time, the estate had laughter.
Not forced laughter.
Real laughter.
May you like
And slowly, the mansion stopped feeling haunted.
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