“You ready?”
I folded the few letters I owned and placed them inside a cardboard box.
“For two years.”
She escorted me through the corridor.
At 8:17 a.m., the outer gates opened.
Rachel waited beside a black sedan.
Daniel was there too.
He leaned against a silver Mercedes wearing sunglasses, with Vanessa sitting in the passenger seat.
Of course he had come.
He wanted to enjoy watching me leave prison with nothing.
Daniel approached slowly.
“You look different, Claire.”
“So do you.”
He smirked.
“I heard your appeal is going nowhere.”
I glanced toward Rachel.
She said nothing.
Daniel stepped closer.
“If you’re smart, you’ll leave the state. Start over somewhere cheap.”
“And Mercer Development?”
His smile widened.
“Mine.”
I held his gaze.
Then I noticed two dark government vehicles entering the parking lot behind him.
I smiled.
“No, Daniel.”
His expression tightened.
“It never was.”
Daniel turned as six investigators stepped out of the vehicles.
Vanessa climbed from the Mercedes.
“What’s happening?”
Rachel handed Daniel a sealed envelope.
He looked at it, then at me.
“What did you do?”
I almost laughed.
For two years, that question had followed me.
Now it belonged to him.
One investigator approached.
“Daniel Mercer?”
Daniel’s face went pale.
“Yes?”
“We have warrants involving financial fraud, obstruction of justice, evidence tampering, and conspiracy.”
Vanessa gasped.
Daniel stared at me.
“This is insane.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Insane was believing I pushed a pregnant woman just because you claimed I did.”
