Chapter 17 - The New Beginning
January 1st, 2027.
The first sunrise of the new year painted the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains in brilliant shades of rose gold and amber.
I woke up without an alarm, wrapped in luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets in my newly remodeled master bedroom. No shouting from downstairs. No demands to cook breakfast for ungrateful parasites. No hidden cameras or forged documents waiting in the home office.
Just silence. Peace. And the soft, pattering footsteps of my daughter running down the hallway toward my door.
“Mommy!” a sweet, joyful voice called out.
The door swung open, and my little girl bounced onto the edge of the bed, her dark curls bouncing, her eyes bright and full of fearless energy.
I scooped her up into my arms, burying my face in her soft neck as she giggled uncontrollably.
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“Happy New Year, my little warrior,” I whispered, kissing her forehead.
We walked out onto the terrace together, wrapped in matching cashmere blankets, watching the city below wake up to a brand-new world. The past was burned away, reduced to ash and federal prison cells. What remained was unbreakable, unshakeable, and entirely mine.
