that had brought me to the hospital nearly a year earlier.
I had spent my career believing that successful missions required clear objectives, discipline, and carefully coordinated action.
That night had taught me something I would never forget.
Protecting my daughter did not mean taking command of her life.
It meant helping her recover the power to command it herself.
Claire slipped her arm through mine.
“Ready to go home?” she asked.
I smiled.
“Whenever you are.”
She looked back at Harbor House one final time.
Then she locked the door herself, placed the key in her pocket, and walked beside me toward the car.
This time, every door she passed through was one she had chosen to open.
