Chapter 7 - The Morning After
By daylight, the storm that had raged over Chicago cleared, leaving behind a crisp, golden autumn morning.
I woke up sitting in a comfortable armchair inside Mason's spacious private hospital suite. Mason was asleep in the adjustable bed, his face regain color, his breathing soft and steady. Sophie was curled up on the small velvet couch, fast asleep under a warm fleece blanket.
Sitting at the small dining table near the window was Declan.
He had changed into a fresh white shirt and dark trousers. His shoulder was bandaged under his shirt, and a small strip of medical tape covered the cut on his temple. He was looking through a thick leather folder filled with legal documents.
"You should be resting," I said quietly, sitting up and smoothing my wrinkled skirt.
Declan looked up, closing the folder. "I don't sleep much, Elena. Especially not on days like today."
"What happens now?" I asked, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window at the majestic Chicago skyline. "Is it over?"
"Nolan is in federal custody," Declan explained. "When the marshals found him tied up in the storm cellar, they also found three years of wiretap evidence, tax fraud records, and illegal weapons contracts he had been hoarding to use against me. He will spend the rest of his natural life in a maximum-security facility."
I let out a long breath I felt like I had been holding for twelve hours. "And your empire?"
"My father's empire was a mess of legitimate shipping companies and dirty street rackets," Declan said, standing up and walking toward the window. "For three years, I’ve been systematically shutting down the illegal side, turning every dollar into clean infrastructure, medical charities, and housing development. Nolan fought me because he wanted the blood money. But today, the board voted unanimously to finalize the transition. The old organization is dead. The Rinaldi Foundation is all that remains."
He turned to face me, his eyes searching my face with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.
"While you were sleeping, I had my team look into your ex-husband."
I stiffened. "Travis?"
Declan picked up a document from the table. "He was located in Las Vegas three weeks ago. He tried to hide behind a series of fake identities to avoid paying spousal support and child debt. My attorneys filed emergency motions two hours ago. Every dollar he stole from your joint savings account has been seized from his new accounts, along with statutory interest."
He handed me a cashier's check.
I looked at the number written on the paper. One hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars.
My hands began to shake again. "Declan... I can't take this."
"That is your money, Elena," Declan said firmly. "Stolen from you by a coward. My lawyers simply made sure it was returned to its rightful owner. Your debts are cleared. Your eviction notice has been canceled because my company bought the building three hours ago."
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I stared at him, tears welling in my eyes. "Why are you doing all of this for us?"
Declan walked closer, stopping just inches from me. "Because last night, when the whole world was waiting for me to fall, a five-year-old girl offered me a crushed chocolate cupcake... and gave me a reason to keep fighting."
