Chapter 7 - THE VISITATION
I went to the jail a month later.
Not for him,
but for me.
I needed to see the man who had almost destroyed me,
to see what was left of the giant.
He sat behind the glass,
wearing an orange jumpsuit that drained the life from his face.
He looked old,
his hair graying,
his eyes full of a bitter,
fading light.
“You look happy,”
he said,
his voice raspy through the intercom.
“I am,”
I said.
“The company is stable.”
“The Eastside Project is being repaired.”
“And the divorce is final as of this morning.”
He laughed,
a hollow,
dry sound.
“You think you’ve won,
don't you?”
“I’ve survived,”
I said.
“That’s enough for me.”
“Sienna is taking a plea deal,”
I added,
watching his expression.
“She’s testifying against you.”
His face went red,
his hands clenching into fists.
“That bitch,”
he hissed.
“I gave her everything.”
“You gave her a stolen life,
Nathaniel,”
I said.
“And she realized it was a debt she couldn't pay.”
He looked at me,
and for a moment,
I saw the man I had married.
The charm,
the ambition,
the spark.
Then it was gone,
replaced by the monster of his own making.
“I built that company,”
he said.
“You’re just a caretaker.”
“I’m the architect,
Nathaniel,”
I said,
standing up.
“I’m the one who knew the foundations were rotten.”
“And I’m the one who’s building something that will outlast your name.”
I walked away without looking back.
May you like
I felt the weight of the last ten years lift from my shoulders.
I was done with his ghosts.
