My 11-year-old daughter came home with a broken arm and bruises all over her body. After rushing her to the hospital, I went straight to the school to find the bully—only to discover his parent was my ex. He laughed when he saw me. “Like mother, like daughter. Both failures.” I ignored him and questioned the boy. He shoved me and sneered, “My dad funds this school. I make the rules.” When I asked if he hurt my daughter and he said yes, I made a call. “We got the evidence.” They chose the wrong child—the daughter of the Chief Judge. / Chapter 29 / 45

Chapter 29 - The Family Meeting

We waited until after dinner to sit Maya down in the living room. The fireplace was lit, casting a warm, comforting glow across the room, but the atmosphere was undeniably heavy. We had promised Maya complete transparency after the horrors she had endured with Richard Sterling. We refused to keep her in the dark, even if the truth was frightening.

"Maya, we need to talk about the letter from Arthur Pendelton," I began gently, sitting on the sofa beside her.

Maya looked down at her hands, her fingers still stained with traces of charcoal.

"He wants to cancel my gallery showing, doesn't he?" she asked quietly.

"He is trying to use the foundation to secure money for Richard's legal debts," Marcus explained, sitting across from us. "It isn't personal, Maya. It is just desperate greed. But it does mean the exhibition is currently in jeopardy."

I watched a myriad of emotions cross Maya’s young face—fear, disappointment, and then, surprisingly, a flash of profound anger. A year ago, she would have retreated to her room in tears, convinced that the world was entirely against her. But she had spent the last twelve months healing, growing, and finding her own powerful voice.

"Richard is in prison," Maya stated firmly, looking up and meeting my eyes. "He is locked away, and he can't hurt us anymore. I am not going to let his lawyer bully me into hiding."

"You don't have to fight this alone, sweetheart," I reminded her, squeezing her hand. "Marcus and I are going to handle the legal side. We just needed you to know the truth."

"I want to fight too," Maya insisted, her voice steady and resolute. "I am going to keep painting. I am going to finish my collection, and I am going to hang those canvases in that gallery. Pendelton can send all the letters he wants. He doesn't own my art."