Chapter 54

• Present
• A wave of happiness and contentment came washing over Valarie as she sat on the porch of Williams' home, cradled by the warm and loving presence of Jasper, Elara, and their granddaughter Lily. It had been three months since she stumbled into their lives, and in that, she had found a period of her life in which she felt freedom and peace never known before.
• As she watched her little granddaughter, busy playing with her dolls on the porch floor, Valarie felt that she could not help but grin at this little lifestyle. A bright seven-year-old, whose wit and intelligence belied her age, said things that sometimes made Valarie take a step back.