Chapter 9 - Behind Steel BarsSix months later.
The heavy iron doors of the Walla Walla State Penitentiary were cold and gray against the bleak winter sky. I stood in the high-security visitors' room, separated from the cell blocks by a thick sheet of reinforced glass.
I had come to sign the final corporate dissolution papers, a legal formality that required Daniel’s physical signature to permanently erase his name from any remaining assets linked to my father’s trust.
The heavy steel door on the opposite side opened, and Daniel walked in, escorted by two armed guards. He was wearing a faded denim prison uniform, his hair cropped close to his skull, his face looking old, drawn, and completely hollowed out by the harsh reality of prison life.
He sat down on the metal stool, slowly picking up the black plastic phone receiver. I picked up mine, my face completely expressionless.
"Sarah," he whispered, his voice raspy and shaking against the speaker. "You came. I... I didn't think you'd ever want to look at me again."
"I came to finish the business of my family, Daniel," I said, my voice smooth, cold, and professional. "Sign the transfer documents at the bottom of the slot. All your remaining corporate entitlements are being converted into a private foundation named after Lily and Chloe. You have nothing left."
Daniel looked at the paper through the slot, a tear escaping his eye and running down his unshaven cheek. "Sarah, please... the nights in here... it’s a living hell. The other inmates know what I’m in for. They know about the girls. They don't let me sleep. Please, talk to your prosecutor friend. Tell them to move me to a protective custody wing. I won't survive another year in this block."
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"You should have thought about the survival of your daughters before you turned that app on, Daniel," I said, my voice dropping into a register that made him visibly shiver behind the glass. "You told me at the funeral that God took my babies because He knew what kind of mother I was. But it wasn't God who came for you in that chapel, Daniel. It was me. And I’m going to ensure you stay in that general population block until the day you die."
With a trembling hand, Daniel picked up the pen and scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page. I took the documents back, stood up, and buttoned my blazer, not looking back as the guards grabbed his chains, pulling him back into the dark corridor of the prison.
