Three Months Later
I bought a new condo on the Upper East Side, close to Noah's new private school.
Noah adapted well. No more nightmares about the fire.

My business was booming.
The scandal, messy as it was, gave Evans Design Studio massive exposure.
One day, my assistant forwarded a news alert.
"Former FDNY Captain Michael Miller found dead in Queens apartment. Apparent suicide."
I stared at the screen for a long time, then turned it off.
Noah was in the living room playing with a new Lego architecture set.

"Mom! Look! I built a building that fire can't burn down!"
I walked over and sat beside him.
"That's amazing, baby."
"Mom," Noah said suddenly.

"Mrs. Rodriguez said today that we can choose to be good people. Even if someone does bad things, we can still choose to be good."
"She's right."
"So," Noah looked at me seriously, "even if Dad made bad choices, I can still be a good man, right?"
"Yes, baby. You can be the best man."
Noah nodded and went back to his Legos.
I stood up and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window at Central Park.
The leaves were turning gold.
A new season.
A new beginning.
I picked up my phone and confirmed my therapy appointment.
We would heal. We would look forward.
We would be okay.
[The End]