Chapter 9 - The Final Confrontation
A week later, I was back behind the counter of The Hearth, wiping down the display case.
The bell above the door chimed, and I looked up.
It was Victoria Sterling, but she was entirely unrecognizable.
Her fur coat was gone, her hair was disheveled, and she looked ten years older.
She marched up to the counter, her eyes wild with desperation and fury.
"You destroyed my family!" she screamed, slamming her hands on the glass.
"Julian's bail was denied! The bank froze all my accounts! I have nothing!"
I slowly put down my cleaning cloth and looked her dead in the eye.
"You destroyed your own family, Victoria, the day you laid hands on my daughter."
She raised her hand, curling it into a fist, looking as though she wanted to strike me just as she had struck Clara.
Before she could even swing, the bakery door opened again, and two uniformed police officers stepped inside.
"Victoria Sterling?" one of the officers asked sternly.
"We have a warrant for your arrest for witness intimidation and accessory to fraud."
Victoria backed away, her false bravery crumbling into pathetic sobs.
"No, please! I'm a Sterling! You can't do this to me!" she wailed as they placed her in handcuffs.
I watched calmly as they led her out of my bakery and into the back of a squad car.
"Goodbye, Victoria," I whispered to the empty room.
May you like
I turned the sign on the door to 'Open' and went back to kneading the dough.
The air in the shop smelled like cinnamon and fresh beginnings.
