Chapter 7 - Rebuilding from the AshesSix months passed before the dust finally settled.
The federal investigation into Natalie and her family's financial schemes moved swiftly. With Marcus Vance's ironclad forensic audit and the audio recordings captured during the rehearsal dinner and wedding night, Natalie was indicted on multiple counts of wire fraud, identity theft, and grand larceny. Her attempts to flee the country failed when her accounts were frozen at the border, leaving her facing up to fifteen years in federal prison.
Jackson moved back into the guest house behind my estate for a brief period, humbled, broken, and determined to rebuild his life. He threw himself into the family business, working twelve-hour days alongside me, learning the value of every single dollar we had earned. We didn't talk much about Natalie; her name became a ghost in the house, a painful lesson learned.
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My hair grew back slowly—first a soft, silver-gray fuzz, then thick, healthy curls that reminded me of the woman I had been before Frank passed away. I didn't hide the short crop. I wore it proudly as a battle scar, a reminder of the day I took my life back.
By autumn, Jackson had moved into his own downtown penthouse—bought with his own hard-earned salary, not a penny of the family trust. He started dating someone new, a kind, grounded architect who actually knew how to cook Frank’s favorite dishes and genuinely laughed at my terrible jokes without checking my handbag.
