Chapter 15
As the car eased into traffic, I looked out at the city and thought about how much can change in six months.
A company can collapse.
A reputation can be restored.
A coward can lose everything.
And a woman everyone underestimated can build something bigger from the ashes they left behind.
My phone buzzed.
It was a text from Tom.
Server migration complete. Also, your 3:00 investor call got moved to 3:30.
I smiled and typed back.
Perfect. Thanks.
A moment later, another message came in from Robert.
Update from the prosecutor’s office. Nate’s team wants to discuss a plea.
I stared at the screen for a second, then locked my phone and set it aside.
I felt nothing.
Not satisfaction.
Not rage.
Not even curiosity.
Men like Nate always think the real punishment is the public fall.
It isn’t.
The real punishment is surviving long enough to watch someone you tried to break become everything you were pretending to be.
The car turned onto the quiet tree-lined street near Mia’s school.
Children in bright jackets spilled across the sidewalk like confetti. Parents waited at the gate. Teachers smiled. The late afternoon sunlight poured over the pavement in soft gold.
David parked.
He stepped out and opened my door.
I gathered my coat, smoothed my sleeve, and climbed out.
Then I saw her.
Mia burst through the school doors with her backpack bouncing wildly behind her. The second she spotted me, her whole face lit up.
“Mommy!”
She ran straight into my arms.
I laughed and caught her, holding her close as she wrapped herself around my neck.
Behind me, the Cullinan gleamed in the sun.
Mine.
Always mine.
I kissed the top of my daughter’s head and smiled.
“Come on, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Let’s go home.”