Chapter 129

"It’s ours," I said.

The four of them mobbed me, and we ended up in a group hug with shrieks of delight bouncing off the walls of the empty house. A wave of emotion washed over me. I could feel it palpably in my body. It was a combination of joy and peace.

This is it, I thought. This is home.

Juliet’s birthday bash was a two-night affair. On Friday night, her agency had put together a huge red-carpet event. It was really meant to serve as a kickoff for her two movie releases coming up later in the year, keeping her in the public eye. The first was a romantic comedy releasing on the Fourth of July. The second, which was already generating Oscar buzz, was a coming-of-age story about a high school senior who got pregnant, gave up the baby for adoption, and, a decade later, goes on a journey to find the child. Hollywood was awash in Juliet Lawson.

The official birthday party took place at the Avalon, an LA mainstay for decades. Most nightclubs came and