Chapter 7 - The Poison Clears
Two months passed.
The autumn leaves had turned brilliant shades of gold and deep crimson across the grounds of the Almeida estate.
The heavy, suffocating darkness that had hung over the mansion for years was gone, replaced by open windows, warm sunlight, and the sound of laughter.
In the sunroom overlooking the river, Isabella sat at an easel, painting a portrait of Samuel running through the lawn with his toy car. Her color had returned, her eyes were bright, and for the first time in six years, she smiled genuinely every single day.
A door opened, and I walked in carrying a tray of fresh lemonade.
"How is the patient today?" Isabella asked, setting down her paintbrush.
"Go see for yourself," I smiled, pointing toward the garden.
Out on the green lawn, Thiago was sitting in his wheelchair—or rather, he was sitting.
As Samuel ran past him chasing a golden retriever puppy we had adopted three weeks ago, Thiago took a deep breath.
He gripped the wooden handrails he had installed along the edge of the terrace. His knuckles turned white. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed himself upward.
His legs—which had been paralyzed for six years due to the slow-acting neurotoxin Arthur Vance had fed him—trembled violently.
"Come on, Uncle Thiago!" Samuel cheered, stopping in his tracks to clap his hands. "You can do it! Remember what I said! You have to try!"
Thiago let out a low groan of sheer exertion.
Slowly... agonizingly... his knees locked into place.
He stood upright.
For the first time in six years, Thiago Almeida stood on his own two feet under the open sky.
Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched from the sunroom window. Isabella gasped, holding her hand over her heart.
Thiago took one small, shaky step forward with his left foot. Then his right.
He staggered, losing his balance, but Samuel rushed forward and pressed his little hands against Thiago's knee, acting as a tiny, fiercely determined brace.
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"I got you!" Samuel yelled.
Thiago looked down at the boy, let out a deep, booming laugh that echoed across the entire valley, and scooped Samuel up into his arms, hugging him tightly.
