Chapter 7 — The Hum of the Machine

Six months have passed since that day in the hospital.

True to my word, I never spoke to Colton again. Helena manages the Medical Trust and sends me a brief note each month.

His health stabilized fast once he stopped poisoning himself. He was discharged to a psychiatric facility and later released.

Without my credit propping him up, his printing business collapsed. He filed for bankruptcy and is working off his debts, terrified of the blue folder Helena holds like a sword over his head.

Paige Holloway found a new job at a reputable accounting firm. I anonymously paid off her remaining student loans — a silent thank-you for her bravery.

And me? Three weeks after the confrontation, with Helena and a team of wealth managers, I walked into the California Lottery headquarters and claimed the twelve million through a blind LLC.