Chapter 15
The news of Eleanor Vance’s surrender broke across every major news network in the United States by midnight.
THE VANCE EMPIRE CRUMBLES: DOWNTOWN DYNASTY BUILT ON 1999 MURDER COVER-UP.
Reporters, satellite trucks, and police cruisers lined the iron gates of the Westchester estate.
Inside the house, Ethan sat in his quiet study, staring out at the rain-slicked driveway.
His mother had been taken into custody without handcuffs, out of respect for her age, but her social standing was destroyed forever.
The Montgomery family was completely ruined; their assets frozen by federal authorities.
Yet Ethan felt no victory, only an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
Clara walked into the study, carrying a warm blanket and two glasses of bourbon.
She draped the blanket over his shoulders and handed him a glass, sitting on the wide leather armrest beside him.
“It’s over, Ethan,” Clara said softly, running her fingers through his short brown hair.
“The truth is finally out.”
“My whole life was built on a lie, Clara,” Ethan said, staring at the amber liquid in his glass.
“My family’s wealth, my company, my mother’s reputation… all built on my father’s murder.”
“You didn't build the lie, Ethan,” Clara reminded him gently, tilting his chin up to look into his eyes.
“You broke it. You saved me, you saved Lily, and you brought justice to your father.”
Ethan looked at her, seeing the incredible strength in the woman who had survived four years of captivity.
“I want to leave Manhattan,” Ethan announced suddenly.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Vermont,” Ethan said. “The cabin. I want to build a real life for us away from this city.”
May you like
Clara smiled, a genuine, warm expression that lit up her dark brown eyes.
“I’d like that very much,” she agreed softly.
