Chapter 18 - Rebuilding from the Ashes
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Spring arrived three months later, melting the dark winter snow and bringing green grass and blooming flowers back to the city.
With Marcus Vance’s help, we seized Daniel’s mansion and sold it at auction. The proceeds from the sale, combined with Victoria’s seized assets, were used to fully restore Ethan’s trust fund—bringing the total back to over five hundred thousand dollars.
Every single penny was placed into an locked, high-yield account that Ethan wouldn't be able to touch until his twenty-fifth birthday.
Daniel was sentenced to twelve years in state prison for grand larceny and child abuse. Victoria received fifteen years without the possibility of parole due to her additional charges of fraud and witness tampering.
I visited Daniel once in prison.
We sat across from each other in the cold visiting room, separated by a thick pane of glass.
“How is Ethan?” Daniel asked, his voice hollow.
“He’s doing great,” I replied. “He joined the middle school soccer team last week. He made straight A’s on his report card.”
Daniel pressed his hand against the glass, tears streaming down his face.
“Does he ask about me?”
I looked my son in the eye.
May you like
“No, Daniel,” I answered truthfully. “He doesn't.”
Daniel lowered his head, sobbing quietly as the guard led him back to his cell. I walked out into the sunshine, knowing that some bonds, once shattered by cruelty, can never be pieced back together.
