Chapter 8 - The Cornered Wolf
The news of the impending criminal charges hit the Mitchell corporate empire like an earthquake. Mitchell Industries' stock plummeted fifteen percent in a single day of trading. The board of directors called an emergency meeting, demanding Eleanor’s immediate resignation from the foundation and stripping Robert of his CEO title.
Desperate and cornered, Robert drove out to the countryside cabin alone. He bypassed security by leaving his car a mile away and walking through the woods, appearing on the porch just as Sarah was putting the girls down for a nap.
Sarah stepped outside, locking the screen door behind her. "You shouldn't be here, Robert. You're violating the court order."
Robert looked miserable. His clothes were rumpled, his hair messy. "Sarah, please. You have to stop Arthur. My mother is going to be arrested. I’m going to lose everything."
"You lost everything the day you let her throw our daughter away, Robert," Sarah said, her voice devoid of affection. "You watched me mourn. You watched me blame myself for a difficult pregnancy, thinking I had somehow failed our family, while you knew our daughter was out there somewhere."
"I was terrified of her!" Robert cried, gesturing wildly toward the city. "My mother controlled the trust, the house, my career! If I went against her, she would have ruined me!"
"A real father would rather be ruined than let his child be abandoned," Sarah said coldly. "Look at Rose Winters. She had nothing. She was a cleaning lady making minimum wage, but she risked prison to save Emma. She is ten times the parent you will ever be."
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Robert fell to his knees on the porch, sobbing. "What do you want from me, Sarah?"
"I want the truth in court," Sarah said. "If you want even a shred of forgiveness from your daughters in the future, you will stand up tomorrow and testify against your mother. You will tell the world exactly what she did."
