CHAPTER 14: THE VISIT
I went to see Daniel.
Not because I wanted to.
Because I needed answers.
The prison was cold and gray.
They led me to a visiting room.
He was already there.
Sitting behind a glass partition.
He looked thinner. Paler.
But his eyes were the same.
Cold. Calculating.
"I didn't expect you," he said.
"I didn't expect anything from you."
"Then why are you here?"
"To understand. Why did you do it?"
He smiled.
"I already told you. It was business."
"She's your daughter."
"She's a product. I told you that too."
I clenched my fists.
"You're a monster."
"I'm a survivor. There's a difference."
"No. There isn't."
He leaned forward.
"You think you've won, Maya. But you haven't. This is just the beginning."
"Then tell me what comes next."
"I can't. But I can tell you this—the people I work for are still out there. And they're not going to give up."
"Give up on what?"
"Emma. The money. The power."
"They can't touch us."
"They can. They will. And you'll be powerless to stop them."
I felt the fear.
But I also felt the anger.
"I'm not going to let you win."
"You already lost. You just don't know it yet."
I stood up.
"Stay away from Emma. Stay away from me. And if you ever try to contact us again, I'll make sure you rot in here forever."
"That's not a threat. It's an invitation."
"To what?"
"To a war you can't win."
I walked away.
I didn't look back.
And I didn't stop walking until I was outside.
Where the air was clean.
Where the sun was shining.
May you like
Where my daughter was safe.
For now.
