Chapter 7 - Spring After the StormThe afternoon sun broke through the gray Seattle clouds, casting a warm, golden light across the harbor.
I walked out of the elevator of the Vance Global building and stepped into the bustling lobby, my footsteps firm, steady, and completely unhindered by the orthopedic cast that had once weighed me down. The doctors had removed it a week ago, and though my leg still carried a faint, dull ache whenever the weather turned cold, I walked without a limp.
I didn't need a cane anymore. I didn't need anyone’s protection.
As I stepped out onto the sidewalk, a familiar figure emerged from the shadow of a stone pillar near the entrance.
It was Flynn.
He looked unrecognizable. Gone was the crisp custom tuxedo, the arrogant smirk, and the polished veneer of the high-society golden boy. He wore a cheap, frayed grey hoodie that was two sizes too big, his hair was unwashed and uncombed, and dark, hollow circles bruised the skin beneath his sunken eyes.
He took a hesitant step toward me, raising a trembling hand.
“Sloan…” he rasped, his voice cracking desperately. “Sloan, please. Just... just talk to me for a minute. Please.”
I stopped, looking down at the man who had once sworn to protect me, the man who had watched me bleed out on the cold marble floor and stepped over my broken body without a second thought.
“You have nothing to say to me, Flynn,” I said, my voice calm, steady, and utterly devoid of anger.
“I lost everything, Sloan,” he choked out, tears finally spilling over his eyelids, tracking dirty paths down his hollow cheeks. “My mother is facing prison. I’m broke. I’m sleeping on a friend’s floor. They’re repossessing my car tomorrow. Please... you’re a wealthy woman now. You control the trust. You can make this go away. You can help me.”
I looked at him for a long, silent moment. The wind rustled my coat, carrying the clean, crisp scent of the coming spring.
“You chose your path the moment you stepped over me, Flynn,” I said quietly. “You wanted my house. You wanted my fortune. You wanted a life built on betrayal and cruelty. Well... you got your wish. You own every single consequence of it.”
He fell to his knees on the concrete sidewalk, burying his face in his hands, letting out a ragged, broken sob that echoed against the towering glass skyscrapers around us.
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I didn't stop. I didn't look back.
I stepped around him, walking forward into the bright, open sunlight, stepping firmly into a future where nobody would ever make me fall again.
