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The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate. / Chapter 12 / 20

Chapter 12 - The Cellblock VisitorTwo weeks later, an unexpected formal request arrived through my legal counsel’s portal.

It was from the Federal Correctional Institution in Indiana.

Jason Mercer was requesting a face-to-face visitor pass. He had exhausted his appeals, his cellmates were reportedly less than impressed with his legal expertise, and the reality of a five-year sentence in a maximum-security perimeter had stripped away every ounce of his old arrogance.

I debated deleting the request. A part of me felt that giving him even ten minutes of my time was a waste of breath.

Then, I remembered the decade of gaslighting, the clinic waiting rooms, the fake sympathy, and the dinner plate with the ultrasound.

Curiosity, combined with a desire to deliver the final, definitive closing entry in my ledger, won out.

The visitation room smelled of industrial disinfectant, stale vending machine coffee, and unwashed desperation. When Jason shuffled through the heavy security door in a bright orange jumpsuit, I almost didn't recognize him. The bespoke suits, the styled hair, the effortless courtroom charm—all gone. He looked gray, gaunt, and broken.

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

Vanessa’s eyes were dry, clear, and sharp. She looked around the library as if measuring the dimensions for a redesign.

Vanessa’s eyes were dry, clear, and sharp. She looked around the library...

He stopped short across the Plexiglas partition, his hands trembling as he reached for the molded plastic seat.

“Evelyn,” he choked out, his voice cracking. “I didn’t... I didn't think you’d actually come.”

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