I walked out, one step at a time.
The evening breeze brushed gently over my face, and the hurt I'd held in for so long lifted with it.
I took a deep breath. I'd never felt so light or so happy.
Without realizing it, I began to smile.
Beside me, my dad's eyes were full of tenderness as he watched my relieved smile.
He slowly smiled, too. The weariness and pain in his expression melted away.
We got into the car together and rode back to the Fenwick family home. The car pulled in slowly.
Stepping through the doors again after 3 years, I felt a tangle of emotions.
I stood in the entrance, staring at the decor, familiar yet strange. This was the home I'd grown up in, yet in a fit of anger, I'd walked away from all of it.
"Claudia, I'm just glad you're home," my dad said gently as he le
