Chapter 10 - Justice
It took two years for the trial to conclude.
David survived the beating, but he would never walk without a cane again. Between the federal charges for embezzlement, wire fraud, and the undeniable paper trail I had meticulously left behind, the judge showed no mercy. David was sentenced to twenty-five years in federal prison.
Chloe was never charged, but the fear of Volkov’s men drove her out of the state. She vanished into obscurity, jumping at every shadow, forever terrified that the Russian mafia was still hunting her.
As for me, I sold the big empty house. I took the legitimate funds left from my own career and the life insurance David didn't manage to steal, and I moved to a quiet coastal town in Maine.
I started a foundation in Leo’s name, dedicated to helping families pay for experimental treatments for pediatric illnesses. We saved five children in our first year alone.
Every evening, I walk down to the beach as the sun sets. I carry Leo’s little blue plastic astronaut in my pocket. The grief never truly goes away; it just changes shape, softening around the edges until it becomes something you can carry without breaking.
David spends his nights in an 8x10 concrete cell, surrounded by men who know exactly what kind of coward he is. He is allowed one phone call a week.
May you like
He always calls me.
And every single week, I sit at my desk, looking out at the beautiful, rolling ocean, and I let it ring.
