Chapter 19 - The Intersection of Two Worlds
As my private car idled outside the support center later that afternoon, my driver navigated toward the old neighborhood on the east side of Columbus.
Without planning it, I found myself telling him to slow down as we approached Linwood Avenue.
The car rolled quietly past our old family home.
A red "FOR SALE" sign was planted crookedly on the dying front lawn. The paint on the porch pillars was peeling, the flower beds were overgrown with weeds, and the living room windows were dark and empty. The fortress of arrogance my parents had built over decades had crumbled precisely because it was never constructed on truth or genuine love.
They were gone—relocated to a small, cramped apartment across town, living off a meager state pension while Vanessa drifted through days of bitter isolation.
I didn't stop the car. I didn't get out to knock on their door or offer a parting word.
There was nothing left to say. They were ghosts haunting a ruin of their own making, while my life, my legacy, and my family’s memory lived on in a light that could never be extinguished.
I leaned back against the leather seat of the car.
“To the airport, Marcus,” I said calmly.
May you like
“Yes, Chairwoman Vance.”
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