Chapter 5 - THE AUDIT
The next three weeks passed in a blur of intense medical work, legal proceedings, and quiet, healing moments.
With the evidence from Andrew’s manila folder now in the hands of both my attorney and the hospital board, the walls began closing in rapidly on the Foster family.
It turned out my discovery was only the tip of the iceberg.
Andrew’s real estate firm, spooked by the publicity surrounding the canceled wedding and the frozen auxiliary accounts, conducted a thorough audit of his high-profile accounts. By the middle of the second week, they discovered that Andrew had been altering expense reports for over a year to cover his lavish dinners with Gemma, embezzling over ninety thousand dollars from client escrow funds.
Brenda’s situation was even worse.
The hospital board found systematic irregularities in her management of the auxiliary charity fund, revealing that she had channeled tens of thousands of dollars in charity donations toward her family’s private events—including the lavish catering deposit for Andrew and Gemma’s sudden wedding.
On a warm Friday evening, I stood in my new apartment in the King William district of San Antonio. It was a sunlit space with exposed brick walls, tall windows, and a wide balcony overlooking the river walk. It was modest, warm, and entirely mine.
A knock sounded at the door.
When I opened it, Zachary stood on the threshold holding a large box of fresh wood-fired pizza and a bouquet of bright yellow sunflowers. Behind him stood Paisley, wearing a blue denim dress and pink sneakers, holding a hand-drawn card in her tiny hands.
"Doctor Sam!" Paisley squeaked, jumping forward to wrap her arms around my knees.
I laughed, kneeling down instantly to give her a warm, careful hug. "Look at you! No crutches, no bandages, and jumping around like a bunny!"
"Daddy said I could come see your new house if I promised not to run on the balcony," she said proudly, holding out the card. "I drew this for you!"
I opened the folded construction paper. Inside was a drawing of three people holding hands under a bright yellow sun—a little girl in pink, a tall man with brown hair, and a woman in a green doctor's coat with a sparkling heart on her chest.
Tears prickled behind my eyes, warm and sweet. "This is the most beautiful drawing I've ever received, Paisley. It's going right on my refrigerator."
Zachary walked inside, setting the pizza box down on the kitchen island, his eyes taking in the cozy, warm space. "It suits you, Samantha. It feels like a home."
"It does," I admitted, walking over to join him while Paisley ran over to inspect my bookshelf. "It feels light. Like I can finally breathe without waiting for someone else’s permission."
"Speaking of breathing easily," Zachary said, leaning against the counter with a quiet smirk, "have you checked the local news tonight?"
"I've been in surgery since six this morning," I replied, opening the pizza box. "What happened?"
"Andrew Foster was officially terminated from his firm this afternoon," Zachary revealed gently. "The district attorney’s office opened a formal investigation into the escrow funds. And Brenda Foster resigned from the hospital board quietly at four o'clock to avoid a public trial."
I paused, holding a slice of pizza in mid-air.
For months, I had walked on eggshells around Brenda, terrified that one misstep would destroy Andrew’s career or anger his family. I had compromised my time, my comfort, and my own boundaries to satisfy a woman who viewed me as nothing more than an inconvenient servant. And now, in less than a month, their entire house of cards had fallen to pieces—not because I had sought vengeance, but because their own corruption could no longer hide from the light.
"How do you feel?" Zachary asked softly, searching my eyes.
May you like
"Free," I said, looking from Zachary to little Paisley, who was currently humming a song while sitting on my plush rug. "I just feel completely free."
"Good," Zachary said, stepping a little closer, his voice dropping into a warm, intimate register that made my heart flutter in a way it hadn't in years. "Because a woman like you deserves to look forward, not backward."
