Chapter 32 - The Prison Visit
A few months after taking over the company, Valentina received a strange request.
It was an official visitation form from the federal penitentiary.
Julian had completed his five-year sentence.
He was being released the following week, but he had specifically requested to see her before he left.
Valentina debated ignoring it.
But her curiosity, and her inherent compassion, won over.
She drove to the prison alone, sitting in the sterile, gray visitation room.
Julian was escorted in by a guard.
He looked vastly different.
He was thinner, his face harder, but the arrogant, cruel spark in his eyes was entirely gone.
He sat down across from her, separated by thick plexiglass.
He picked up the phone.
"I honestly didn't think you would come," Julian said quietly over the receiver.
"Why did you ask to see me, Julian?" Valentina asked directly.
"I wanted to apologize," Julian said, his voice cracking slightly. "I spent five years in a cell thinking about what I did. I let Paulina turn me into a weapon. I was so angry at the world for taking my parents, I wanted to burn yours down."
"You almost got my mother killed," Valentina said, her voice remaining cold.
"I know," Julian whispered, looking down at his scarred hands. "And there is no excuse for it. But I wanted you to know that I am not that person anymore. I am moving far away. You will never see or hear from me again. I just wanted to say I am sorry."
Valentina looked at the broken young man.
She remembered the hatred that used to consume her own heart when she lived in the shadows.
She knew how toxic anger could be.
"I accept your apology, Julian," Valentina said softly.
Julian looked up, completely shocked.
"You do?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Valentina nodded. "But do not waste this second chance. Do something good with your life. Build something instead of destroying it."
She hung up the phone and walked out of the prison.
She felt a massive weight lift off her shoulders.
May you like
By forgiving him, she had completely severed the final string that tied her family to Paulina’s darkness.
She was completely free.
