Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Twist (Ending)I sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the pages written in Elena’s familiar handwriting.
August 4th. My illness is getting worse. David's men are closing in. I know I am going to die soon. But I cannot leave Sophie unprotected. I have to force Michael to intervene.
He is a good man, but he has shut himself off from the world. He walks the exact same route from his office every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. If I just send him the documents, he might hand them to the police, and David will intercept them.
I need Michael to care. I need him to feel a personal connection before he knows the truth.
I kept reading, my heart pounding in my chest.
I purposely cut the soles of Sophie’s shoes. I told her to stand on the corner of 5th and Elm. I told her that a tall, sad-looking man in a grey suit would walk by, and that she needed to ask him for shoes. I told her exactly what to say.
Forgive me, Michael. I manipulated your heart to save my daughter's life.
I slowly closed the diary.
I looked over at Sophie, who was sitting on the rug, happily drawing a picture.
It hadn't been fate that day on the sidewalk. It hadn't been a coincidence. It was a dying mother’s brilliant, desperate game of chess. She had sacrificed her own pride, used my loneliness, and played my emotions perfectly—all to ensure her daughter would survive.
"Uncle Mike?" Sophie asked, looking up from her crayons. "Are you crying?"
I wiped a single tear from my cheek and smiled, walking over to sit on the floor beside her.
May you like
"No, sweetheart," I whispered, pulling her into a hug. "I'm just really, really glad you needed a pair of shoes."
Sometimes, the greatest business deal of your life costs exactly $45. And the return on investment? It's simply everything.
