Chapter 17 - Shadows at the Edge
Rebuilding a life on a foundation of altered history, however, required absolute precision.
While Clara spent her afternoons painting in the newly renovated studio overlooking Lake Michigan, I spent my mornings in my private home office, systematically dismantling the remnants of my old life.
Mateo stood across my mahogany desk, laying down a thick manila folder containing the final liquidation papers for our offshore accounts.
“Moretti’s organization has completely fractured,” Mateo reported, his voice low and steady. “His capos are fighting over the remaining scraps of the South Side docks. We didn't even have to step in; they’re tearing each other apart from the inside out.”
“And Julian Vance?” I asked, not looking up from a shipping manifest.
“Handed over to federal marshals under a deep-cover witness protection protocol three states away,” Mateo replied. “He’ll spend the next twenty years behind bars wondering how he lost everything.”
I nodded slowly, closing the folder. “And Serena?”
Mateo hesitated for a fraction of a second. “She’s still locked down in a private psychiatric facility under strict supervision. Her family thinks she’s undergoing treatment for a severe psychotic break. She hasn't spoken to the press, and she won't. Her legal team signed a lifetime non-disclosure agreement in exchange for us covering her medical bills.”
“Good,” I said coldly. “Ensure she stays off the grid permanently. If anyone from her old circle comes looking, make sure they hit a dead end.”
“Consider it done, Boss,” Mateo said, turning toward the door. Then he paused, glancing back hesitantly. “Dom... what happens when her memory comes back? Dr. Vance said retrograde amnesia can sometimes snap back instantly if she encounters a major trigger.”
I stared at the dark mahogany of my desk, remembering Clara’s smile from that morning.
May you like
“It won't,” I said quietly, though whether I was trying to convince Mateo or myself, I wasn't entirely sure. “I’m not giving her a reason to remember the dark years. We are writing a new timeline.”
---
