My husband pushed me down the stairs, and as I lay shattered at the bottom, my mother-in-law called my father and said, “Come get your worthless daughter and take her back.” Dad gave her only one warning: “If she has so much as a scratch, your family will answer for it.” They laughed at him because they had absolutely no idea who my father truly was.

I had expected my greatest victory to arrive in court.

Instead, it arrived at breakfast, when my daughter decided she did not need to be afraid of a glass of juice.

PART 15

The financial investigation developed more slowly.

Priya’s review of the disclosed statements suggested that Northbridge Project Services had received payments from several Callahan-controlled accounts for work that did not match the available invoices.

The company existed on paper.

It had a registered agent, tax filings, and a bank account.