HER LAST BREATH BEFORE DAWN

The private airstrip at Blackwood Ridge was swallowed by a thick morning fog. A twin-engine turboprop plane sat on the runway, its propellers spinning slowly as an elderly woman dressed in an elegant cashmere overcoat climbed the boarding steps, clutching a small leather briefcase.

"Evelyn Sterling!" a voice bellowed through the mist.

Evelyn stopped on the metal stairs, turning around. Emerging from the tree line were Marcus, Agent Ramirez, a dozen tactical federal agents, and Laura.

"It’s over, Evelyn," Laura called out, stepping forward onto the tarmac. "The plane isn't taking off. The pilot has already surrendered his license to the FAA."

Evelyn looked at the surrounding federal agents, then down at Laura. Her face contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. She gripped the metal handrail of the aircraft stairs, her knuckles turning white.

"You ungrateful little nobody," Evelyn screamed, her voice cracking with hysterical rage. "I gave you a life! I gave your daughter the Sterling name! You were nothing before Julian brought you into our house, and you will be nothing when I am finished with you!"

"You didn't give us a life, Evelyn. You tried to steal Chloe's breath so you could control her the way you controlled Julian," Laura said, walking steadily toward the stairs until she stood just ten feet away. "Julian broke free before he died. He made sure the truth would survive. And today, Chloe breathes on her own."

Agent Ramirez stepped up the stairs, placing heavy steel cuffs around Evelyn’s wrists. "Evelyn Sterling, you are under federal arrest."

As they led the once-untouchable matriarch down the steps, Evelyn stumbled on the damp tarmac. Her expensive briefcase burst open, spilling useless stacks of foreign currency across the wet runway. She looked at Laura, pleading with her eyes for a shred of sympathy.