was solid walnut with a steel core and a security system registered only to me.
Lena supervised the installation.
Malik came upstairs during his break and tested the camera twice.
When the workers finished, I stood in the hallway holding my mother’s bracelet in my palm.
For years, the Bennetts had convinced me that belonging required payment.
I had paid with money, silence and pieces of myself I could not easily recover.
But dignity had never been theirs to grant.
I fastened the bracelet around my wrist, stepped inside and closed the door.
The lock clicked once.
This time, the sound did not frighten me.
It sounded like peace.
