Chapter 6 - The InvestigationThe police returned to the venue.
The ballroom was sealed.
Engineers examined the chandelier.
The report confirmed it.
The support mechanism had been severely damaged.
And someone had known.
Dylan denied everything.
“I didn't understand the report.”
But Claire had emails proving otherwise.
The venue manager had sent him the inspection warning.
Dylan had responded:
“We'll deal with it after the gala.”
The investigator looked at him.
“Why?”
Dylan couldn't answer.
Then another detail emerged.
Dylan's company had been negotiating a major acquisition.
The gala was connected to several investors.
Canceling it would have cost him millions.
He had chosen money over safety.
And then, when the chandelier fell, he had chosen Sierra's son over his own daughter.
The hero story collapsed.
The news stations changed their headlines.
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT CHANDELIER ACCIDENT
Then:
FATHER KNEW OF SAFETY WARNING BEFORE GALA
Then:
WHO WAS REALLY RESPONSIBLE?
Dylan's reputation disappeared overnight.
But I didn't celebrate.
I was too busy rebuilding my daughter's sense of safety.
She had started asking whether chandeliers were dangerous.
She refused to enter large rooms.
She slept with the lights on.
One night she whispered:
“Mommy, will Daddy choose me next time?”
May you like
I held her tightly.
“There won't be a next time.”
