Chapter 10 - THE MAN WHO HAD TO CHOOSE AGAIN
Vincent faced another decision.
This time, there was no hospital corridor.
No newborn crying.
No wife begging him to stay.
Only two children who needed him to become better.
His relationship with Sophia had deteriorated.
They had never married.
For years, she'd lived with him as his partner and Lucas's mother.
Now the lies had made that arrangement impossible.
Vincent moved into a separate residence.
He worked with attorneys to establish a stable parenting plan for Lucas.
He also continued attending family counseling sessions with Emily.
But there was another issue.
His criminal organization.
For years, Vincent had kept his business empire divided between legitimate holdings and illegal operations.
He'd told himself it was necessary.
That power protected his family.
That he could keep the violence away from his children.
Then Emily asked him a question.
“Daddy, why do people look scared when they see you?”
Vincent froze.
They were sitting in a park.
She was eating an ice cream cone.
He looked at her.
“Do they?”
She nodded.
“Sometimes.”
Vincent stared across the grass.
He remembered the men who lowered their eyes.
The guards who carried weapons.
The whispered conversations.
He looked back at Emily.
“Because I've made choices that hurt people.”
She frowned.
“Can you stop?”
The question was simple.
Terrifying.
Vincent looked at his daughter.
“I can try.”
That evening, he met with Dominic, his longtime underboss.
He announced plans to step away from criminal operations and cooperate with legal counsel in winding down unlawful activities.
Dominic stared.
“Are you serious?”
Vincent nodded.
“You built this.”
“I know.”
“And now you're walking away?”
Vincent looked toward the window.
“I walked away from the wrong thing seven years ago.”
May you like
He turned back.
“I'm not making that mistake again.”
