Chapter 10 - THE PRICE OF TELLING THE TRUTH
Ethan survived.
He had bruises.
A fractured wrist.
And the kind of fear that doesn't disappear when someone opens a locked door.
But he was alive.
Nora met him at the hospital.
She hugged him so tightly that he laughed through tears.
“Easy, Nora.”
She pulled back.
“Don't ever scare me like that again.”
He smiled weakly.
“I'll try.”
Arthur remained outside the room.
He didn't want to intrude.
But Ethan noticed him through the glass.
“Is that Moretti?”
Nora nodded.
“He helped.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Tell him thank you.”
Nora hesitated.
Then stepped into the hallway.
Arthur looked up.
“How is he?”
“He'll recover.”
Arthur exhaled.
“Good.”
Nora studied him.
“You did the right thing.”
Arthur looked at her.
“Eventually.”
She nodded.
“Eventually.”
The investigation continued.
Rocco Bellucci and several associates were arrested.
The ledger also reopened inquiries into the fire that killed Maria Callahan.
Arthur faced scrutiny over his own past.
His attorneys advised him carefully.
He accepted that cooperation did not erase responsibility.
For months, his businesses underwent restructuring.
Legitimate operations were separated from criminal activities.
Several properties were sold.
Contracts were terminated.
And Arthur stepped away from the leadership of the organization he'd once controlled.
The process was painful.
But for the first time, he felt something unfamiliar.
Relief.
May you like
He could no longer pretend the past didn't exist.
And strangely, that made breathing easier.
