Chapter 5
Sensing the situation turning against her, Sienna tried to stealthily slip away. But two hotel security guards—alerted beforehand by my lawyer—quickly stepped in to block her path.
“Ms. Sienna,” one of the guards said, “financial crimes investigators are waiting for you and Mr. Derek in the lobby to question you about some illicit transactions.”
The entire ballroom erupted in a buzz of conversation. Photographers at the gala snapped away furiously, their camera flashes blindingly bright against the pale, mortified faces of Derek and his mistress.
FINAL PART The scandal at the charity gala became the hottest topic in the state’s business and lifestyle news for weeks afterward.
Faced with irrefutable evidence—including Rachel’s accounting records, Grace’s audio recording, and the timely intervention of lawyer Bennett—Derek was left with no way out. He not only faced a divorce that would strip him of his entire fortune but also an investigation into financial fraud by the tax authorities.
Derek’s company saw partners cancel contracts en masse due to the severe fallout from the ethical and financial scandal. To avoid a prison sentence, he was forced to sell off all his remaining shares to pay restitution and return the funds he had illegally misappropriated. As soon as Sienna saw Derek go bankrupt and face legal trouble, she immediately fled with the remaining luxury goods; however, she was later summoned by the police for questioning as an accomplice regarding the receipt of illicit assets.
A few months later, the divorce hearing took place.
The court awarded me full custody of Grace, the house in Evanston, and 80% of our remaining assets as compensation for the emotional distress I had suffered and Derek’s illegal dissipation of marital property. Derek was left with nothing but a mountain of debt and a completely ruined career.
On the day I moved the last of my belongings out of our old home, Derek stood on the street corner; he looked a decade older, dressed in rumpled clothes with dark circles under his eyes.
He approached as he saw me leading Grace to the car.
“Victoria… Grace…” Derek choked out, his voice full of pleading. “Please give me a chance… I’ve lost everything. I know I was wrong…”
I paused and looked at the man who had been my whole world for eleven years—now reduced to nothing more than a cowardly adversary.
“You didn’t lose everything due to some unforeseen accident, Derek,” I replied calmly. “You lost everything because you chose to betray the people who loved you most.”
Grace stood beside me; she took my hand and looked up at Derek one last time.
“You haven’t lost everything, Dad,” Grace said, her voice heartbreakingly mature. “You still have exactly what you chose. You chose lies, and now that’s what you have.”
With that, Grace opened the car door herself, climbed in, and sat neatly in the back seat. She didn’t look back even once. I climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and stepped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, the image of Derek—small and talking to himself on the deserted street—gradually faded from view.
By now, Grace and I have moved into a new, sun-drenched apartment near the lake. Grace is back in school, laughing and chatting happily, living a life appropriate for her age—no longer burdened by that notebook or a burden of worry for her mother.
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Sometimes, as I sit watching my daughter draw by the window, I am still struck by her resilience. I realize that in the darkest moments of my life, it was not I who saved my daughter; rather, it was Grace’s courage and love that saved me.
We have left the painful past behind. A new chapter has begun—one defined by sincerity, peace, and a love that never betrays.
