Chapter 7 - The First Steps
Recovery is not a straight line. It is a grueling, exhausting, physical battle.
Three days after the surgery, the physical therapists came into my room to help me stand for the first time.
My body felt heavy, uncoordinated, and fragile. Every time I engaged my core muscles, a sharp bolt of pain shot through my side.
But I refused to stay in that bed.
"Take your time, Maya," the therapist said gently, supporting my left arm while Chloe stood on my right. "There's no rush. Just put your weight on your feet when you're ready."
I gritted my teeth. I focused on the tile floor in front of me.
I pushed myself up.
The pain was intense, a burning sensation wrapping around my abdomen, but I stood up straight. I took one agonizing step forward. Then another.
I walked to the door of my hospital room and back.
When I finally collapsed back onto the mattress, I was drenched in sweat and gasping for air, but I felt a wild, untamed sense of victory.
"You did it," Chloe cheered, handing me a towel to wipe my face. "You are officially a machine."
"I feel like I just ran a marathon," I laughed, wincing as the laughter pulled at my stitches.
Later that afternoon, Arthur arrived. My lawyer looked sharper than ever, carrying a sleek leather briefcase and an aura of absolute authority.
"How is my favorite client?" Arthur asked, pulling up a chair to the foot of my bed.
"Healing," I said. "What's the news from the outside world?"
Arthur smiled, a cold, predatory grin that made me incredibly glad he was on my side.
"The bail hearings concluded this morning," Arthur announced, opening his briefcase. "Evelyn's lawyer begged the judge for house arrest. He claimed she was a pillar of the community and posed no flight risk."
"And?" Chloe leaned forward, her eyes wide.
"And the prosecutor played three minutes of the hidden camera footage where Evelyn explicitly discussed fleeing the state with your money after you died," Arthur said smoothly. "The judge was thoroughly disgusted. Bail was denied. She is going to remain in Cook County Jail until the trial concludes."
A profound, heavy relief washed over me. She couldn't hurt me anymore. She couldn't reach me.
"What about Richard?" I asked.
"Richard was granted bail, but it was set at two million dollars, cash," Arthur chuckled. "Since Chloe brilliantly froze and transferred all of your assets out of their reach, Richard doesn't have two million pennies. He's sitting in a cell right next to his wife."
I looked out the hospital window at the Chicago skyline. For years, they had controlled my world. They had dictated my worth. They had treated my life like a disposable asset.
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Now, they were locked in cages, completely stripped of the power they had stolen from me.
"Let them rot," I said quietly.
