Chapter 8 - The Final EchoThe sun dipped entirely below the desert horizon, painting the sky in shades of deep violet and brilliant gold.
I thought back to that morning months ago—the shattered eggs, the spilled mole, the cold steel of the dog chain around my mother's neck, and the arrogant laughter of two people who thought they had won.
They had called us peasants. They had thought my silence was weakness, and my success was theirs for the taking.
They had taught me the most valuable lesson a woman in my position could ever learn: Never hide your power to test someone's loyalty. When someone shows you they are a parasite, don't try to cure them—cut them off at the root.
My phone buzzed on the glass table. It was an automated notification from the federal prison system—a standard transaction alert indicating that inmate Michael Coleman had attempted to place a collect call to my personal number for the fourth time that week.
May you like
Without hesitation, I swiped the screen, tapped the menu, and permanently blocked the number.
I didn't look back. I didn't feel a shred of pity. I simply turned around, walked back inside my magnificent home, and locked the glass door behind me for good.
