Chapter 4 - The Final Breath
Time is the one thing money cannot buy. Despite flying in the top oncologists from Switzerland, Clara’s organs were failing.
It was late on a Friday night. The rain was lashing against the hospital window. Lily was curled up beside her mother, fast asleep.
Clara squeezed my hand. Her grip was incredibly weak. "Julian."
"I'm here, Clara."
"Under my bed... at the apartment..." she gasped for air. "There is a metal lockbox. My mother kept it. It’s the truth about where Arthur got his seed money. He didn't just marry your mother... he stole from the Sterlings. He embezzled millions."
I stared at her, horrified.
"Take care of my little girl," Clara whispered, her eyes fluttering shut. "Tell her... promises are sacred."
The long, flat tone of the heart monitor filled the room. Clara Sterling was gone.
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Lily woke up at the sound, rubbing her eyes. "Mommy?" she whispered.
I picked the little girl up, burying her face in my shoulder as she began to sob. I cried with her, mourning a sister I had only just met, and swearing a silent oath of vengeance against my own father.
