Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
The sun was dipping below the tree line, casting long, golden shadows across the lawn as Paige and Owen climbed into the back seat of Victoria’s BMW, where I sat waiting with open arms.
“Mom!” Paige sobbed, throwing her arms around my neck so hard we both tumbled sideways against the leather upholstery. “I knew you’d come back! I knew it!”
“I told you I would, sweetie,” I whispered into her hair, tears streaming down my face as I kissed her forehead, then gently reached over to stroke Owen’s tiny cheek as he slept peacefully in her lap. “You were so brave. You saved everything.”
Through the tinted window, I watched as Ryan was led down the front steps in handcuffs, his head bowed low, flanked by two troopers. Marlene was screaming hysterically at officer Dan Higgins, who was desperately trying to calm her down before realizing his badge couldn't save his family from federal wire fraud charges.
Victoria sat in the driver’s seat, closing her leather briefcase with a satisfying snap.
“Well, Erin,” she said, looking back at us with an approving nod. “The emergency injunction was granted twenty minutes ago. Apex Global has officially voided the acquisition contract and issued a public statement distancing themselves from your husband’s fraudulent representations. Little Fox & Fern is entirely back in your hands, unencumbered.”
I looked down at my sleeping son, then at my brilliant, courageous daughter, and finally out the window at the man who had tried to erase my life, now reaping the exact harvest he had sown.
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“Thank you, Victoria,” I said softly. “What happens next?”
“Next?” Victoria smiled sharply. “We file for an expedited divorce with full sole custody, a freezing of all marital assets to audit his gambling losses, and restitution that will ensure your husband spends the next five years paying back every single cent he stole from your company.”
