I found my daughter crying in the kitchen, eating scraps from dirty plates while her husband smiled and said, “She deserves it.” I didn’t scream or argue. I took her by the hand, walked out with her, and called a lawyer. Hours later, we discovered a contract, eight months of unpaid work, and evidence that could completely destroy him.

We didn't go back to my house. It was burned. Elias Thorne knew where I lived, and Damian now knew we had his ledger.

Robert drove us to an unmarked corporate apartment building downtown—a safe house his law firm kept for high-profile clients in danger. Once we were inside, locking three deadbolts behind us, we finally collapsed.

Chloe was shaking so violently her teeth chattered. I wrapped a blanket around her, holding her tightly while she cried into my shoulder.

“I hit him, Mom,” Chloe whispered. “He’s going to come for us.”

“No, he’s not,” Robert said firmly, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Because he’s going to be too busy running from the United States government.”

Robert dialed a number he had memorized.

“Agent Reynolds,” Robert said into the phone, his voice dropping into a serious, commanding tone. “It’s Robert Vance. I need a massive favor. I have physical evidence of a multi-million dollar money laundering operation tied to Elias Thorne’s syndicate. I have the ledger, I have the front man’s forged contracts, and I have a witness.”

Robert paused, listening to the voice on the other end.

“We are at the downtown safe house. Bring a tactical team. The front man is extremely volatile.”

Robert hung up the phone and looked at us.

“Help is on the way,” Robert promised. “Reynolds is a Special Agent with the FBI’s financial crimes unit. He’s been trying to nail Elias Thorne for five years. This red ledger is the holy grail.”

For a moment, I allowed myself to feel a spark of hope.