Chapter 2 - The Ultimate Betrayal
My father stood at the foot of my hospital bed with a cold, unforgiving stare.
He did not ask about my broken ribs or the dark bruises wrapped around my neck.
He simply tossed a thick manila envelope onto the white cotton blanket.
He told me that my mother was inconsolable over the loss of their dream home.
He demanded that I sign the enclosed power of attorney paperwork to give Julian control of my finances.
He explained that Julian had promised to buy them the house in cash if they helped handle my unfortunate breakdown.
My own parents had essentially sold me to my abuser for a piece of real estate.
I looked at the man who was supposed to protect me and felt absolutely nothing.
I pushed the envelope off the bed and watched the papers scatter across the linoleum floor.
I told him I would rather die in this room than sign away my freedom.
My father sneered and warned me that I was making a very dangerous enemy out of Julian.
He turned his back and walked out of the room without a single ounce of regret.
I immediately called Mara, my fierce corporate attorney, and told her our timeline had vanished.
She promised to file the emergency protective order and the corporate injunction before the courts closed.
I opened my laptop and initiated the sequence I had prepared months ago.
I transferred the entire operating balance of Julian's consulting firm into a frozen escrow account.
Without those funds, his company would bounce every payroll check and default on every vendor contract by tomorrow morning.
I felt a brief surge of triumph as the confirmation screen appeared.
Then a chilling email arrived in my secure inbox from an unknown sender.
May you like
The message contained a live video feed of my attorney walking to her car in the courthouse parking lot.
A masked man was silently following Mara through the shadows.
