Chapter 8
The story broke at 8 a.m.
Langford Group under new control.
Elena Langford.
The estranged daughter.
Taking back what was hers.
The articles praised her.
Quiet strategy.
Long game.
Daniel’s name was in every story.
The man who tried to stop her.
The man who chose the wrong side.
Helen disappeared from social media.
Her accounts went private.
Then deleted.
Daniel called again.
From another new number.
I did not answer.
He left a voicemail.
Crying.
Saying he was sorry.
Saying Helen had left him.
Saying he just wanted to see Lily.
I deleted it.
I blocked the number.
At 10 a.m. Marcus called.
“Helen’s lawyer contacted me. They want to settle. Full custody to you. Supervised visitation for Daniel only. No Helen. Ever.”
I looked at Lily.
She was on the floor.
Playing.
Happy.
“What do they want in return?” I asked.
“Money. A lot. And silence. They want you to drop any criminal charges. They want the police reports sealed.”
I thought about it.
For three seconds.
“No,” I said.
“We go to the final hearing. We finish this in court. On record.”
Marcus was quiet.
Then he said, “Good. I was hoping you would say that.”
We hung up.
I picked up Lily.
I took her to the park.
The private one.
With security.
She played in the grass.
She laughed when I pushed her on the swing.
I watched her.
I thought about the woman I used to be.
The one who came home early.
The one who found them in my bed.
The one who was thrown out.
I was not that woman anymore.
I was stronger.
Smarter.
Unbreakable.
At 4 p.m. Sarah called.
“Helen bought a plane ticket. One way. To another country. She is running.”
I smiled.
Cold.
“Let her run. It makes her look guilty.”
Sarah laughed.
A short sound.
“You really did it, Elena.”
“Not yet,” I said.
“But soon.”
I hung up.
I took Lily home.
I fed her.
I bathed her.
I put her to bed.
I sat beside her crib.
I watched her sleep.
In sixty days it would be over.
May you like
One way or another.
I was ready.
