Chapter 8 - THE MAN WHO HAD NOTHING LEFT TO HIDE
Nicholas made his decision three days later.
He agreed to provide investigators with a full account of the criminal operations he knew about.
Not just Gabriel's activities.
His own.
His attorney warned him of the consequences.
Possible charges.
Financial losses.
Public disgrace.
Nicholas listened.
Then signed the cooperation agreement.
When I heard, I went to his room.
“Are you sure?”
He looked at me.
“No.”
I smiled sadly.
“That's honest.”
He reached for the book on his bedside table.
The same novel I'd been reading the night he woke.
“Clara,” he said.
I looked up.
“Yes?”
“Do you remember what you were reading when I opened my eyes?”
I nodded.
“A man returning home from war.”
Nicholas smiled faintly.
“He thought surviving was the same as living.”
I looked at him.
“And?”
“He was wrong.”
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Nicholas said, “I don't know if I deserve another chance.”
I swallowed.
“Maybe that's not something you get to decide alone.”
He looked at me.
“What do you mean?”
“You can choose what you do next. Other people get to decide whether they forgive you.”
He nodded.
May you like
For the first time, Nicholas seemed to understand that redemption wasn't something he could purchase.
It was something he had to work toward.
