Chapter 9 - Demolishing the Past
Six months later, heavy machinery rolled onto the grounds of the three-million-dollar estate.
I stood on the manicured lawn holding baby Leo in my arms, dressed in a warm beige trench coat. Standing beside me in a dark wool jacket was Julian, now appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Enterprises and the head of Leo’s protective estate.
The massive steel wrecking ball struck the mansion's foundation with a thunderous roar. Glass shattered, stone crumbled, and the dark walls of the house came tumbling down in clouds of dust.
"You're sure you want to tear it all down?" Julian asked quietly, glancing at me.
May you like
"Every last brick," I replied, watching the basement partition collapse into rubble. "No child should ever grow up in the shadow of a cage."
In place of the estate, I donated the entire ten-acre plot to establish the Clara & Leo Foundation—a state-of-the-art sanctuary and emergency shelter for mothers and children fleeing domestic violence and financial abuse.
