Chapter 13 - The Aftermath
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The ink on the divorce decree was barely dry before I completely changed the locks on the clinic doors.
The next few months passed in a blur of exhausting but exhilarating rebuilding. I officially took over as sole CEO of Moretti & Hayes, instantly firing the corrupt administrators Vincent had hired to facilitate his shady dealings. I rebranded the clinics, removing his name entirely.
My pregnancy progressed beautifully. The terrifying anxiety of the first trimester slowly melted away, replaced by the profound, comforting weight of my growing belly. Every kick, every flutter against my ribs, was a fierce reminder of the war I had fought to keep us safe.
Vanessa kept her word and left Chicago entirely. She sold the remaining furniture in the Lincoln Park townhouse, packed her bags, and moved back to her family in Ohio to raise her child far away from the toxic fallout of Vincent’s life. She sent me a short, handwritten note before she left.
We were both victims of a monster. Thank you for showing me how to bite back.
I kept the note tucked in my desk drawer as a reminder of the strange, tragic sisterhood we had briefly shared.
As for Vincent, his downward spiral was swift and absolute. Stripped of his wealth, his clinics, and his reputation, he had attempted to flee the state. But the damage was already done.
Though I had kept my promise not to hand the hard drive to the DEA during the mediation, the IRS had already begun a massive audit based on the initial frozen accounts. They didn't need the hard drive to find the glaring holes in his tax returns.
In late May, when I was six months pregnant, I watched the morning news in the hospital cafeteria with profound satisfaction as Vincent Moretti was perp-walked out of a cheap motel in handcuffs, indicted on massive federal tax evasion and wire fraud charges.
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He looked old, broken, and entirely pathetic. The arrogant king had lost his crown.
I took a bite of my muffin, resting a loving hand on my swollen stomach. We had won. The nightmare was officially over, and the future was entirely ours to build.
