Chapter 15
I wanted to kill Miranda.
That is the truth.
No polished sentence can clean it.
When Amelia cried herself sick after hearing that recording, something dark opened in me.
I pictured my sister in the courtroom.
Her perfect hair.
Her cold eyes.
Her mouth saying useful.
I wanted her afraid.
I wanted her begging.
Then Noah stood in my doorway.
“If you do something stupid, Amelia loses you too.”
I turned.
He looked small in the hallway.
But his voice was steady.
“My mother died because she went alone.”
The words hit exactly where they needed to.
I sat down.
He walked in and placed Rosa’s necklace on my desk.
“She told me revenge feels like fire, but justice builds walls.”
I looked at him.
“She sounds wise.”
“She was annoying.”
I laughed once.
So did he.
Barely.
But it counted.
We gave the recording to Alvarez.
Within forty-eight hours, Miranda was charged in connection with Elena’s crash and Rosa’s death.
Stefan accepted a deal and confirmed everything.
He said Miranda ordered Elena’s car tampered with to delay her from signing trustee changes.
He claimed he never meant for the crash to be fatal.
The prosecutor did not care.
Neither did I.
Miranda’s empire collapsed publicly.
Her charity board resigned.
Banks froze her accounts.
Former friends vanished.
People who had drunk champagne under my roof now said they had always sensed something wrong.
Liars love hindsight.
I ignored them.
Amelia’s therapy continued.
After the recording, she stopped trying for four days.
“I walked and it made everything worse,” she whispered.
“No,” I said. “Walking revealed what was already evil.”
She looked unconvinced.
Noah sat on the floor beside her.
“If you stop, she wins twice.”
Amelia glared.
“That’s rude.”
“Yes.”
“You’re bad at comfort.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
Then laughed.
The next day, she returned to the parallel bars.
One step.
Then two.
Then three.
Then she fell into my arms and sobbed.
“I hate her.”
“I know.”
“I miss Mommy.”
“I know.”
“I want to walk at the trial.”
My heart stopped.
“You don’t have to prove anything.”
Her eyes burned.
“I’m not proving. I’m showing.”
Noah nodded like this was obvious.
“She should show.”
Dr. Pierce looked at me.
May you like
I looked at my daughter.
“Then we train,” I said.
