Chapter 14 - The Final Goodbye
A year after the trial, I received a formal letter from the state penitentiary.
Eleanor was requesting a single visitor, claiming she was severely ill and wanted to make amends.
I stared at the cheap paper for a long time, weighing my options.
A part of me wanted to ignore it, to leave her rotting in the dark forever.
But I needed total closure to completely move on with my life.
I drove the four hours to the prison, passing through layers of heavy steel security gates.
Eleanor sat behind a thick sheet of bulletproof glass, wearing a faded orange jumpsuit.
She looked absolutely horrific—aged ten years, gaunt, and completely devoid of her former glamour.
She picked up the heavy plastic telephone, her hands shaking violently.
"Samantha, please," she rasped, her voice weak and pathetic.
"I am dying, and I need you to forgive me so I can find peace."
I picked up my end of the receiver, looking into the eyes of the monster who killed my father.
"I do not forgive you, Eleanor, and I never will," I stated with chilling absolute certainty.
"You destroyed a good man for money, and you tried to destroy me out of pure spite."
She began to sob, pressing her forehead against the smudged glass.
"I am your mother!" she cried out desperately.
"No," I replied softly, my voice steady and completely calm.
"You were just a temporary obstacle in my life."
I hung up the phone gently, cutting off her pathetic wailing.
I stood up, smoothed down my expensive tailored coat, and walked out of the visiting room.
May you like
I did not look back, not even for a single second.
I was finally, truly free.
