Chapter 8 - THE ENVELOPE UNDER THE SEAT
The Mercedes had been destroyed in the accident.
Its remains were stored for months before being transferred to an insurance salvage facility.
I had never wanted to see the wreckage again.
Now I needed to know what had happened to the envelope.
Investigators reviewed the chain-of-custody records.
Dominic had visited the salvage facility two days after the accident.
He had claimed to be retrieving personal belongings for the family.
A security photograph showed him carrying a yellow envelope.
I stared at the image.
Sophia had remembered correctly.
The envelope's contents remained unknown.
But the foundation's financial records offered a possible answer.
Millions of dollars had been diverted from rehabilitation grants into shell companies.
Several transfers were authorized through accounts Dominic controlled.
An independent forensic accountant found that the money had been used to purchase property and finance private investments.
The missing funds explained why several community programs had closed.
Children had lost access to therapy.
Families had been forced into debt.
Isabella had discovered the fraud.
She had been gathering evidence.
And she had been on her way to meet Hannah when someone followed her car.
I looked at the financial report.
For years, I had believed I was protecting my daughter by surrounding her with wealth.
But wealth had not protected her.
It had hidden the people who were hurting her.
That night, I went to Sophia's room.
She was sleeping.
Her pink wheelchair stood beside the bed.
I sat in the chair next to her.
For a long time, I watched her breathe.
Then I whispered:
"I'm sorry, baby."
She stirred.
"Daddy?"
I took her hand.
"I'm here."
She smiled sleepily.
"Promise?"
I closed my eyes.
I had made too many promises I couldn't keep.
So this time, I said something different.
"I'll do my best to be here whenever you need me."
She squeezed my fingers.
May you like
"Okay."
And somehow, that simple answer felt more honest than anything I'd said in years.
