I looked at the image of Meredith on my screen and thought about the chaos that would follow. “Not yet,” I decided. “I want to keep this as our final insurance policy.”
“Your father thought you might say that,” Bob told me. “He knew you hated making a scene.”
The next day, a courier arrived with a package from Meredith’s lawyer. It contained a formal document where she gave up all claims to the estate and promised to leave the state forever.
There was a small note from her that said I had won and that she was going away. “Just keep what you know to yourself,” the note concluded.
She must have found out about the cameras or the drive, or perhaps Bob had dropped a hint that terrified her. Regardless of how it happened, she was gone, and she was never coming back to Willow Creek.
I felt a profound sense of peace settle over me as I stood in the foyer of my home. The house was finally mine, and the legacy my father had worked so hard to protect was safe.
I spent the next year restoring the garden and fixing the small things that Meredith had neglected. I invited my friends over for dinners, and the house was filled with the sound of laughter once again.
I never did turn over the USB drive, because knowing I had it was enough to keep me safe. Meredith was somewhere far away, living with the knowledge that she had been caught by a man she thought was simple.
I still sit on the porch every evening with a cup of coffee, watching the sun set over the hills of Vermont. The house is old, and it has its flaws, but it is exactly where I belong.
My father’s roses are blooming better than ever this year, and I make sure to tend to them every single day. I think he would be happy to see how things turned out in the end.
