Chapter 13 - Stepping out of the Shadows
Andrew received the message later that afternoon. He was sitting in the small, cramped office of the community clinic when the phone rang. It was David, giving him a time and a place.
Andrew hung up the phone and stared at the peeling paint on the wall.
His hands were shaking slightly.
He had spent a year mentally preparing for the fact that he would never see Mariana again. He had accepted it as his rightful punishment.
Now, he was going to stand in front of the woman he had broken, the woman who had risen from the ashes to become a titan of industry and philanthropy.
"Are you alright, Andrew?" the clinic director asked, noticing his pale face.
"I have to step out for a while," Andrew said quietly, grabbing his worn coat. "I have an appointment."
He walked through the busy city streets. The rain had stopped, leaving a cold, damp chill in the air. As he approached the Escalante Foundation's downtown clinic, he stopped across the street, just watching the building.
It was a beautiful, modern facility. Mothers were walking in with their children, greeted by smiling staff. It was a place of healing. A place Mariana had built.
Andrew felt a profound sense of shame. He used to measure success by the size of his bank account and the fear he inspired in his rivals. Mariana measured success by the number of lives she saved.
He crossed the street and walked through the glass doors.
The receptionist looked up.
"Can I help you, sir?" she asked politely.
"I am here to see Mariana Escalante," Andrew said.
The receptionist's eyes widened slightly in recognition, but she remained professional.
"She is expecting you. Please take the private elevator to the third floor."
Andrew stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, he looked at his reflection in the polished steel doors. He looked older, tired, humbled.
He was no longer the arrogant heir to a corrupt fortune. He was just a man trying to do one right thing in a life filled with wrong choices.
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The elevator dinged. The doors opened.
It was time to face his past.
