Chapter 8 - The Woman Who Became the Boss of a Broken Empire
Marriage changed things.
Not because I became Mrs. Kane.
Because Adrian stopped treating me like someone who needed protection.
He asked for my opinion.
Included me in decisions.
Told me the truth.
Even when it hurt.
I helped turn the company legitimate.
We created scholarships.
Medical grants.
Housing programs.
The same money once used to buy silence now paid for schools.
Adrian hated publicity.
I loved seeing children receive opportunities.
We fought.
A lot.
But we learned to apologize.
Three years later, I had our daughter.
Sophia.
Adrian cried when he held her.
I had never seen him cry before.
He whispered:
“I don't know how to do this.”
I laughed.
“Neither do I.”
He looked at the baby.
“She'll never know the old me.”
I smiled.
“She'll know the real you.”
Our family grew.
And eventually, we left the mansion.
We bought a house in the suburbs.
No guards.
No gates.
A normal kitchen.
A dog.
A swing set.
Adrian learned to mow the lawn.
Badly.
Sophia called him ridiculous.
He loved it.
The past still followed us.
But it no longer controlled us.
Until one morning, an envelope arrived.
Inside was a photo.
Me.
Sophia.
Adrian.
Taken from across the street.
On the back:
YOU WON.
BUT SOMEONE ALWAYS PAYS.
Adrian's face hardened.
I took his hand.
“We've survived worse.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
May you like
Then he smiled.
“Together.”
