Chapter 8
Two days had passed since the highway confrontation. The desert sun beat down on the red-tiled roof of the county women’s shelter, a quiet, secure facility nestled in a residential neighborhood miles away from the roaring traffic of Interstate 95.
Chloe sat in a rocking chair by a sunlit window, gently humming a lullaby to Lily. The baby was dressed in a clean, soft yellow onesie, sleeping peacefully with her tiny fists curled near her cheeks. The pink blanket from the roadside was folded neatly on the edge of the crib, washed and dried, a reminder of a storm they had somehow survived.
A soft knock sounded on the open door, and Evelyn Vance stepped into the room. She wore her civilian clothes today—a simple dark blue blazer and jeans—lacking the tactical weight of her duty belt, which gave her a softer, more approachable presence.
“Hey,” Evelyn said quietly, stepping into the room. “Hope I’m not intruding.”
Chloe looked up and smiled, a genuine, reaching smile that finally touched her eyes. “Not at all, Officer Vance. Please, come in. Lily just fell asleep.”
Evelyn walked over, glancing down at the sleeping infant with a gentle expression. “She’s doing well? The pediatrician gave her a clean bill of health yesterday, right?”
“100 percent healthy,” Chloe confirmed, resting a hand softly on the baby’s back. “No dehydration, no lingering effects from the heat on the highway. The nurses here have been incredible. They’ve given me diapers, formula, and… and counseling. I talked to a legal aid attorney this morning, too.”
Evelyn pulled up a chair opposite the rocker and sat down. “What did the attorney say?”
“He said because of the nature of the embezzlement charges against Richard, and the federal investigation into the shell corporations, Richard’s assets are currently frozen by a federal court order,” Chloe explained, her voice steady. “He won’t be making bail anytime soon. And as for paternity and child support, the state is going to file an automatic petition once the criminal proceedings move forward. I won’t need to ask him for a dime; the courts are going to secure a trust for Lily directly from his seized accounts.”
“Good,” Evelyn said firmly. “You deserve financial security after everything he put you through. No games, no hiding in run-down apartments.”
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“I’m moving back home to Ohio next week,” Chloe revealed, looking out the window toward the bright blue sky. “My parents live there. My mom called me the night after it happened. She saw the local news report about the arrest on the national feeds—they didn’t show my face, but they mentioned the highway and the car. She knew it was me. She cried on the phone for an hour, told me to come home immediately.”
Evelyn felt a knot of emotion tighten in her chest, followed by a profound sense of relief. “That’s the best possible news, Chloe. Family support is everything right now. You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
