I had taken back my grandmother’s company.

But more than that, I had taken back the truth about who I was — and I found, running my own restaurants in the daylight, that I had been that person all along, waiting under the silence for the room to finally go quiet enough that I could be heard.

Within two quarters, Halstead House was not merely stable.

It was more profitable than it had ever been under his reckless hand.

The divorce settled in my favor on every count: the court recognized the townhouse as my sole inheritance, awarded Roman no alimony and not one share of the restaurant group, and ordered him to pay full restitution for what he had taken from the trust.