Chapter 15 - The UltimatumThree days after Jessica’s visit, the federal investigation into Ethan Parker reached its climax.
Marcus Vance called me into his office downtown late on a Friday afternoon. The rain was beginning to spit against the glass windows of the high-rise law firm, casting long, dramatic shadows across his mahogany desk.
"It's over, Harper," Marcus said, sliding a thick stack of federal documents across the desk toward me. "Ethan was indicted this morning on three counts of corporate wire fraud, embezzlement, and perjury. The federal prosecutor isn't offering a plea deal this time. He's looking at a minimum of eight to ten years in a federal penitentiary."
I looked down at the documents, tracing my finger over the bold header. A strange sense of closure washed over me—not joy, not triumph, just a deep, profound exhale. The storm had finally passed.
"And Ethan?" I asked quietly. "Does he know?"
"He knows," Marcus sighed, leaning back in his leather chair and lacing his fingers together. "In fact, he sent one last message through his court-appointed public defender. He doesn't want to fight the indictment anymore. But he has one final request before the trial starts next week."
I looked up, narrowing my eyes. "What kind of request?"
"He wants to see Chloe. Just for ten minutes. Under supervision," Marcus said carefully, watching my reaction closely. "He says... he says knowing he'll spend the next decade behind bars without ever seeing his daughter's face is a sentence worse than death. He swears he just wants to apologize to her, not you."
The silence in the office grew heavy.
For a moment, I thought back to the night two years ago—standing in the dark hallway of our home, holding a pregnancy test while listening to the man I loved throw me and our unborn child away like trash. I remembered the cold terror, the shattering of my heart, and the instant, steely resolve that birthed a new life.
Ethan wanted forgiveness. He wanted redemption. He wanted a piece of the family he had deliberately abandoned.
"No," I said, my voice leaving absolutely no room for argument.
May you like
Marcus nodded slowly, unsurprised. "I figured as much. I'll inform his public defender that the request is denied."
"Make sure it's permanently denied," I added, standing up and smoothing down my blazer. "Ethan Parker is not part of our lives, Marcus. He never was, not really. He was just a temporary draft that didn't make it past the first inspection."
