The following spring, I was sitting on the porch of my new house, watching the sun set.

Not the postman. Not the neighbor.

She is a middle-aged woman, petite, holding a file in her arms.

“Are you… Mark Allen?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I

That name made me pause. Brian – the man on the beach, Anna’s lover, the one who had turned her last days into

Turns out, h

“We need a statement.

I agreed to cooperate. Partly because I wanted to close the chapter completely.

In the following months, I attended several hearings, providing testimony.

When the final indictment

Anna was re-indicted on more serious charges. This time there was no probation.

I didn’t go to the trial. I just heard from my lawyer:
“You helped prevent at least 12 similar cases from happening.

That sentence made me silent for a long time.

Two years after leaving the hospital, I got used to my new life: a quiet small town,

I still keep the habit of installing cameras – not out of fear, but as a reminder. That I have learned a hard lesson: Trust is precious, but blind trust can kill you.

One afternoon, I received an email from Maria, the tired-eyed nurse who had given me the phone that day.
“How are you? I just wanted to say that I am so glad you are alive. And that you have done what so many people do not have the strength to do.”

I smiled.

I lost my old family, but I found myself again.

And this time, I don’t need anyone to bring gifts from faraway beaches.

I have something more precious than any gift: peace and the right to decide my own life.