“He was right,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his dark, unruly hair—hair that matched Daniel’s exact wave, Daniel’s exact texture, and Daniel’s unyielding strength. “He was right.”
Outside the kitchen window, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in deep shades of amber and bruised purple. The storm that Vivian and Grant had manufactured to crush us had instead blown away every shadow, leaving behind the hard, clean light of reality.
Part 5
Three months later, the legal proceedings concluded with quiet finality.
The financial crimes division unraveled the entire network of deception that Vivian and Grant had spent years constructing. With the undeniable proof contained in Daniel’s digital archives, along with the forensic accounting reports ordered by the court, Grant was indicted on multiple felony counts of wire fraud, grand larceny, and identity theft. Facing overwhelming evidence and a potential prison sentence exceeding fifteen years, his defense attorneys dropped all countersuits and focused entirely on securing a plea bargain.
