Chapter 14: Confronting the Past**
One month before her transfer to a maximum-security federal facility in Texas, Evelyn requested a visitor’s permit for Victor. Against Arthur’s advice, Victor agreed to meet her one final time at the metropolitan detention center.
They sat on opposite sides of a thick acrylic glass partition. Evelyn looked unrecognizable—her immaculate silver hair was cut short and uneven, and deep lines of bitterness were permanently etched into her face.
"You came," she said, her voice raspy through the intercom receiver.
"I came to tell you that this is the last time you will ever see me," Victor said evenly.
Evelyn gripped the plastic phone tightly. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done to our family name? We are the laughingstock of the country. Everything your father built is gone!"
"My father built a business, Evelyn. You turned it into a weapon," Victor responded without a trace of anger. "Julian is serving eight years. You are serving twelve. But outside these walls, the foundation bearing Clara’s name has already housed over three hundred vulnerable families."
Evelyn scoffed, though her eyes were desperate. "And what about the child? Does she even know who her grandmother is?"
"She knows that her family is built on love, honesty, and safety," Victor said, rising slowly from the metal chair. "She will never know your cruelty, because your name will never be spoken in our home again."
May you like
Victor hung up the receiver, turning his back on Evelyn's frantic tapping against the glass, and walked out into the open sunlight without looking back.
---
