Evelyn Calloway’s hands shook so violently she could barely turn the brass ignition key of her Volvo.

The regional correctional center sat on a barren grey plain twenty miles outside Northfield.

Evelyn sat behind a thick panel of safety glass in the non-contact visitation room. On the other side of the glass sat Grant, wearing a plain orange jumpsuit, his hands cuffed at his waist.

His hair had been cropped short, his face was gaunt, and his eyes were downcast, unable to meet his mother’s gaze.

Evelyn picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver attached to the wall.

Grant slowly lifted his own receiver, pressing it against his ear.

"Mom," Grant rasped, his voice trembling. "You... you didn't have to come."

"I came to tell you that the legal custody transfer for Maisie has been finalized," Evelyn said, her voice calm, measured, and quiet. "She is living with me now. She has a room overlooking the rose garden."

Grant swallowed hard, a tear spilling over his cheek. "Does she... does she ask about me?"

Evelyn looked at her son through the thick glass, seeing the hollow shell of the boy she had raised.

"She asks if you're still outside the door, Grant," Evelyn revealed truthfully.

Grant let out a choked sob, burying his face into his cuffed hands, his shoulders heaving violently as he wept against the steel counter. "I was so scared, Mom... Gideon's men told me they would kill me if I didn't let Vanessa take control of the trust... I thought if I just let her have her way for a few weeks, it would all be over..."

"You let your fear make you a monster, Grant," Evelyn said, her voice unyielding. "You traded your daughter's safety to save your own skin. That is something you will have to live with for the next ten years."

"I know," Grant sobbed, looking up at her with bloodshot, desperate eyes. "I know... I don't deserve to be her father. Please, Mom... just make sure she knows... make sure she knows her mother loved her."

"Her mother died six years ago, Grant," Evelyn said quietly. "And I will make sure Maisie grows up knowing that she is loved, protected, and cherished by the people who truly matter."