Right as he finished the sentence, three sheriff’s deputies and a forensic accounting team crossed the marble lobby behind him carrying empty evidence boxes.

I watched the live broadcast from my hospital bed. I watched the confident smile disappear from Adrian’s face as the deputies tapped him on the shoulder.

But the war wasn’t over. I still had one final document to deliver.

Chapter 3: The Boardroom Execution

Three weeks later, the bruises on my throat had faded to a sickly yellow, and my ribs ached with a dull throb rather than a sharp agony. Internally, I had never felt more structurally sound.

We convened in a glass-walled conference room at Mara’s firm. The tension was thick enough to combust.

Adrian arrived flanked by two high-priced defense attorneys, looking haggard, his bespoke suit hanging loose on his frame. To my disgust, my parents walked in behind him and took seats on his side of the long mahogany table.