Chapter 15 - Eviction Day
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Before heading to the courthouse for Isaac’s verdict, I drove back to the Vance Estate on Lake Washington one last time.
The heavy iron gates were open. Moving vans belonging to Sterling Infrastructure were parked in the cobblestone driveway, loading the expensive art, antique furniture, and luxury fittings into crates for public auction.
I walked through the grand double doors into the cavernous ballroom.
The crystal chandelier was dark. The marble floor where I had been tied was cleared of champagne glass and debris.
Standing near the stage was Arthur and Wendy, carrying two small canvas bags—everything they had left to their names.
When Wendy saw me walk into the room wearing a tailored white suit, she flinched, instinctively backing away toward her husband.
“Flora...” Arthur croaked out, clutching his wooden cane. “We’re leaving. We’re taking the bus as your brother ordered.”
I walked to the center of the room, stopping directly beneath the wooden beam where my wrists had bled four weeks ago.
I looked up at the beam, then turned my gaze to Arthur and Wendy.
“Four weeks ago, you stood in this exact spot and believed you held all the power in the world,” I said softly, my voice echoing off the empty walls. “You thought my silence was weakness. You thought my quietness was submission.”
Wendy kept her head bowed, silent tears dropping onto her worn coat.
“I didn't come here to gloat,” I continued. “I came here to buy this land. Tomorrow, this mansion will be demolished. In its place, Sterling Infrastructure will build a free rehabilitation facility for survivors of domestic violence.”
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Arthur closed his eyes, let out a long, ragged sigh, and bowed his head. “It is a fitting end for a cursed house.”
They walked slowly out the front doors, their footsteps echoing quietly until the heavy doors shut behind them for the final time.
