Chapter 19 - Walter’s Mansion Is GoneThe old mansion was demolished four years later.
Developers bought the property and divided the land.
Travis drove past once.
Stopped.
The grand staircase was visible through missing walls.
Kelsey sat beside him.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“Want to go?”
He nodded.
They received permission from the construction manager.
Inside, the living room looked smaller without furniture.
The place where Adrienne’s sofa had stood was empty.
The staircase remained.
Milo, now five, stayed with Lucia that afternoon.
Kelsey stood at the bottom.
Her body remembered.
Not panic exactly.
An echo.
Travis touched her hand.
“She sat there.”
“Yes.”
“You ran down there.”
“Yes.”
“I came through that door.”
They looked toward the missing entrance.
Kelsey smiled faintly.
“You shouted at me.”
“You slapped my sister.”
“Still defending her?”
He grinned.
“Context.”
She laughed.
They walked upstairs.
At the top, Kelsey looked down.
A one-year-old.
So small.
How had Milo even survived the tumble with only mild injuries?
Luck.
Carpet.
Angle.
Chance.
She hated that chance had been required.
Then Travis said:
“I used to think this house was Dad.”
“What do you think now?”
“It was a house.”
Kelsey nodded.
They left.
The staircase was demolished two days later.
Adrienne visited the site separately.
She later texted Travis only:
Gone. Strange.
He replied:
Probably good.
She sent:
Yes.
No melodrama.
Sometimes buildings carried too much meaning because people needed symbols.
May you like
Then they disappeared.
Life continued.
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