Chapter 9 - Reclaiming the Space
The day after the sentencing, I hired a construction crew to come to the mansion. I stood in the upstairs hallway, watching as the workers carefully removed the heavy wooden banister—the one Ethan had slammed me into on that terrible Tuesday night.
"What are we putting in its place, Ms. Hayes?" the foreman asked, holding a clipboard.
"A modern, reinforced glass and steel railing," I said, running my fingers over the smooth surface of the new design plans. "Something bright. Something that lets the light through."
May you like
I walked down the stairs, looking at the grand dining room. The long walnut table was gone, sold at an auction alongside the rest of the furniture that reminded me of them. In its place, I had designed a beautiful, minimalist art studio for local charity programs I was now funding with the recovered offshore money.
My phone buzzed. It was a notification from the court. The final divorce decree had been approved by the judge. My name was officially restored to Valerie Hayes. The marriage was legally dead, but I was entirely alive.
