Chapter 14
I woke up in the hospital.
My shoulder hurt.
Badly.
I tried to sit up.
A gentle hand pushed me back.
"Easy," my father said. "You've been shot. You need to rest."
I looked at him.
"Emma," I whispered. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine," he said. Tears were in his eyes. "She's perfectly fine. You saved her, Sarah. You took the bullet for her."
I closed my eyes.
Thank God.
"Linda?"
"In custody," he said. "She dropped the gun after she shot you. The bailiffs tackled her immediately. She's facing so many charges now… she'll never see the outside of a prison again. Murder. Attempted murder. Kidnapping. Weapons charges. She's done."
I nodded.
"Daniel?"
"He's here," my father said. "He's been waiting outside. He wanted to see you. But I told him to wait until you were awake."
"Let him in," I said.
My father hesitated.
Then he nodded.
He went to the door.
Daniel came in.
His face was pale.
His eyes were red.
He looked like he hadn't slept.
"Sarah," he said. His voice broke. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I'd been stronger—if I'd stood up to her sooner—"
"She would have found another way," I said. "Linda was always going to be Linda. It's not your fault."
He sat down beside the bed.
He took my hand.
I let him.
"The bullet went through your shoulder," he said. "The doctors say you'll make a full recovery. No permanent damage."
"Good," I said. "I need to be able to hold Emma."
"She's been asking for you," he said. "She's with Maria. She wants to see her Mommy."
"Can you bring her in?"
"Of course."
He went out.
A few minutes later, Emma came running in.
"Mommy!"
She climbed onto the bed carefully.
She hugged me gently.
"I was so scared," she said.
"I know, baby," I said. I kissed her forehead. "But it's okay now. Everything is going to be okay."
Daniel stood in the doorway.
Watching us.
There was sadness in his eyes.
And something else.
Acceptance.
That afternoon, Mr. Chen came to see me.
He brought good news.
"The DA has accepted Daniel's testimony," he said. "And the forensics on the vial came back. Linda's fingerprints. Richard's DNA. The digoxin. It's an open and shut case. She'll be charged with first-degree murder. She'll spend the rest of her life in prison."
"And Victoria?" I asked.
"She's cooperating," he said. "She's agreed to testify against Linda in exchange for immunity. She says Linda manipulated her. That she had no idea about the murder or the kidnapping plan. She's also decided to terminate the pregnancy."
I nodded.
That was probably for the best.
No child deserved to be born into that mess.
"And Daniel?"
"He's not being charged," Mr. Chen said. "The DA believes his testimony about being blackmailed. The video Linda had… it's been analyzed. It proves Daniel didn't kill his father. He was just a scared kid checking on his dad. Linda's been lying about it for twelve years."
He paused.
"Daniel has also signed over his parental rights," he said.
I looked up.
"What?"
"He's agreed to give you full legal and physical custody. Permanently. He says he wants what's best for Emma. And he believes that's being with you. He'll still pay child support. And he's asked for supervised visitation. Once a month. If you're comfortable with it."
I thought about Daniel.
About the boy who'd been scared of his mother his whole life.
About the man who'd finally found the courage to stand up.
About the father who loved his daughter.
I looked at Emma.
She was playing with my hospital bracelet.
Happy.
Safe.
"Tell him I'll think about it," I said.
A week later, I was released from the hospital.
My father's house felt like home again.
No more fear.
No more Linda.
No more threats.
Daniel came to visit once.
He brought Emma a present.
A new stuffed rabbit.
Emma was shy at first.
But then she hugged him.
He cried.
I watched them.
And I knew.
I could never love Daniel again.
Not the way I used to.
But maybe we could be something else.
Friends.
Co-parents.
For Emma's sake.
That evening, I sat on the porch with my father.
The sun was setting.
It was beautiful.
"You did good, kid," my father said.
"We did good," I said.
He put his arm around me.
"I'm proud of you," he said. "You fought for your daughter. You fought for yourself. And you won."
I leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I couldn't have done it without you," I said.
"Family takes care of each other," he said.
I watched Emma play in the yard.
She was laughing.
Chasing butterflies.
Free.
And for the first time in a long time, I felt free too.
But I knew there was still one more thing to do.
One more conversation to have.
One more step to take before I could truly move on.
Tomorrow, I would go to the prison.
May you like
I would look Linda in the eye.
And I would tell her exactly what she'd lost.
