Chapter 14 - THE ROOFTOP RECKONINGThat evening, the autumn wind whipped across the Manhattan skyline as I sat at a quiet corner table of a high-end rooftop restaurant, sipping sparkling water and watching the harbor lights flicker to life.
A heavy shadow fell across my table.
I looked up.
Daniel stood there. His designer suit was rumpled, his hair matted with sweat, his eyes hollow and dead. He looked like a ghost haunting the ruins of his own arrogance.
"Mara..." he choked out, pulling out a chair and sitting down uninvited. His hands shook violently as he rested them on the white tablecloth. "Please. Tell me this is a nightmare. Tell me you'll fix it."
I took a slow sip of water, setting the glass down without a sound.
"Fix what, Daniel?" I asked quietly.
"The company... the condo... my life," he sobbed, tears spilling down his cheeks. "We were married for six years! We built a life together! You loved me!"
I looked at the man who had laughed while kissing another woman in my face, the man who had called me "small" and "cheap" while standing in an office I had bought for him.
"I did love you, Daniel," I said softly, my voice completely devoid of anger or warmth. "So much that I wanted to see who you really were when you thought nobody was watching."
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Daniel swallowed hard, his face turning ghostly pale. "And... and I failed?"
"You didn't just fail," I stood up smoothly, picking up my designer handbag. "You proved that your loyalty was cheaper than the ten-dollar dress you mocked."
