Chapter 8 - THE FALL FROM GRACE
The silence in the ballroom was absolute, followed immediately by a deafening eruption of gasps and frantic whispers.
Eleanor’s face turned the color of ash. She dropped the crystal award, and it shattered into a hundred pieces on the stage. She lunged for the microphone. "Turn that off! That is a deep fake! It's a lie!"
But the audio kept playing.
“...I am not letting her ruin my family’s legacy now.”
The Chief of Police, who was sitting at the VIP table, stood up slowly, looking at my mother with absolute disgust. The reporters in the back of the room were already holding up their phones, recording the entire meltdown.
I walked up the steps of the stage and looked down at the woman who had stolen six years of my life.
May you like
"You wanted to protect the Thorne family legacy," I said quietly, so only she could hear. "Now everyone knows exactly what it is."
I turned my back on her and walked out of the ballroom. Behind me, the chaos exploded. Reporters were shouting questions. The hospital board members were walking out. Eleanor was screaming for her lawyers, but Richard Vance was already slipping out the side door, knowing a sinking ship when he saw one.
