Chapter 1163: (END)

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On the day of the apartment handover, she did not go back, but asked the agent to handle it on her behalf. She did not want to step into that place full of painful memories again, nor see those decorations that symbolized the arrogance of capital. She wanted her last memory of it to be the view of the sunrise, a symbol of her escape, not the cold marble floors that had chilled her to the bone for years.

On the day of departure, Maxwell came to pick up her and her daughter in person. He was a quiet, reliable man whose loyalty she had earned, and his presence was a silent reassurance.

In the car, Effie leaned excitedly against the window, watching the skyscrapers receding into the distance, chattering nonstop. “Look, Mommy! The buildings are getting smaller! Are we flying higher than them?”

Isolde leaned back in her seat, looking at her daughter’s innocent smile, her heart calm. The city’s steel and glass canyons, which had once felt like the walls of a prison, now seemed insignificant, like a model on a tabletop.

The plane took off, breaking through the clouds and flying toward Washington. Outside the window was an endless blue sky and white clouds, and the sun shone through the porthole onto her and Effie, warm and bright. Effie pressed her face against the glass, mesmerized. For Isolde, it felt like a baptism, washing away the grime of her former life.

𝖱𝖾ad 𝗐i𝗍hо𝗎𝘵 iոte𝗿𝘳𝘶p𝘵io𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝗻 𝘨а𝗹n𝗈𝗏𝘦𝘭𝘀.𝖼о𝗆

A few hours later, the plane landed at the airport in Washington, D.C. Professor Nelson, his kind eyes crinkling at the corners, came to pick them up in person. Looking at Isolde, he smiled warmly. “Welcome to Washington, Isolde. This will be your new beginning.”

Isolde held Effie in her arms, looking at the old man who had given her hope and opportunity, her eyes full of gratitude. “Thank you, Professor. For everything.”

The sunshine in Washington was warmer and brighter than that in Manhattan. It felt different, less harsh, filtered through the leaves of ancient trees rather than reflected off glass and steel. Professor Nelson arranged a house with a garden for them, a charming brick colonial with a sprawling backyard, close to Effie’s school and not far from the Institute. The first thing Effie did was run barefoot on the grass, her laughter echoing in the open air, a sound Isolde realized she had rarely heard in their soundproofed penthouse.

Isolde quickly threw herself into her new work, and her talents were fully displayed in her position as Chief Architect. She was no longer designing opulent, soulless monuments for the wealthy, but shaping the future of national infrastructure. Her colleagues respected her for her vision, not her husband’s name. She felt a sense of purpose that had long been dormant. The next-generation national strategic defense system she led the design of was highly recognized by the federal government.

Effie also quickly adapted to her new school. She became more and more cheerful, and every day after school, she would hold Isolde’s hand, talking about interesting things at school and new friends she had made. She spoke of finger-painting, class pets, and playground games with an unbridled joy that was the ultimate proof of Isolde’s correct choice.

On weekends, Isolde would take Effie to fly kites in the park, visit museums, and have picnics in the countryside. They lived a small, ordinary, beautiful life. The life of the mother and daughter was full of sunshine and laughter. The ghosts of Manhattan felt a million miles away.

It was another dawn. Isolde stood on the balcony of their new home, a cup of coffee warming her hands, watching Washington’s skyline gradually brighten with the sun. The air smelled of damp earth and blooming flowers, not exhaust fumes.

Effie ran over from behind, hugged her legs, looked up with a smile, and said, “Mommy, look, the sunshine is so beautiful!”

Isolde bent down, picked up her daughter, held her tightly in her arms, and looked at the rising sun in the distance. A gentle yet firm smile appeared on her lips. The weight in her chest, a companion for so many years, was finally gone, replaced by a lightness she was still getting used to.

She had finally escaped that cold tomb, finally freed herself from the control of capital, and finally given Effie a clean, warm world full of sunshine.

Outside the window, the sun was just right, and the breeze was gentle. Isolde knew that her dawn had long since arrived. And the future belonging to her and Effie would be full of infinite hope and light. It was a future she had designed, a foundation she had laid, and a home she had built not with steel and stone, but with courage and love.

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The End.

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Message from Noa: Have a beautiful day lovely readers. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥

Did you know that the life you’re living today is the result of whether or not you’ve guarded your heart?

God gives us this counsel in His Word: Above all else, guard your heart, for it sets the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Why should I guard my heart? And what would I need to guard it from? God has given us a heart worth taking care of—a heart that has to be guarded from the things that pull us away from Him and from His truth. If the heart is what sets the course of my life, am I going to let it steer me while it’s clouded with anger and resentment? With guilt and fear? With envy and comparison? With deception and false hope?

Guard your heart. Keep it in Jesus Christ, and He will keep your life.

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