Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The Unmarked Road
The winter of 2043 brought an unusual request from the Virginia Historical Society. Because of Robert’s old construction company having built several of the prominent mid-century brick landmarks in Richmond before his bankruptcy, they were compiling an architectural archive of the city’s development and requested access to any remaining corporate journals.
I remembered the old metal lockbox Robert had left in my basement twenty years ago—the one containing the personal journals he kept before the corruption completely took over his business.
I spent a Saturday afternoon in the basement, dust motes dancing in the light as I finally pried the rusted hinges open. Inside were old photographs, blueprint rolls, and a small, leather-bound diary from 1975—the year I was born.
I flipped to the first page, my eyes scanning the faded blue ink.
October 14, 1975. Janet delivered a healthy baby girl today. Claire. She’s small, but she has a loud cry. Business is tough this year, but I’m going to build an empire for this family. Every brick I lay is for my children. I’ll make sure they never have to beg for a dime from anyone.
May you like
I sat on the concrete floor, holding the diary. A strange, heavy sadness settled in my chest. Robert hadn't started as a monster. He had started as a young father with a dream of protecting his children from poverty. But somewhere along the highway of success, the dream had curdled into greed, the protection had turned into control, and the love had been replaced by a toxic demand for absolute submission.
I didn't destroy the diary. I packed it into a box and shipped it to the historical society without a note. It was a history lesson for the world: an empire built on the sacrifice of your own children is destined to become a ruin.
