Chapter 5 - The Empire Strikes
The medics lifted the stretcher,
moving me swiftly toward the waiting ambulance outside,
which would transport me to the helicopter hovering nearby.
I kept my eyes on my father,
watching him dismantle the lives of my abusers with terrifying,
surgical precision.
"You cannot do this to me,"
Carter sobbed,
his voice cracking,
reverting to a terrified child.
"I am a lawyer,"
"I have rights,"
"this is illegal,"
"I will have you put in jail for this!"
My father laughed,
a cold,
barren sound that held no humor,
only infinite malice.
"Rights?"
my father asked,
kneeling down so he was eye-to-eye with Carter.
"You lost your rights the moment you laid a hand on my blood,"
he hissed,
grabbing Carter by the jaw,
forcing him to look into his eyes.
"I own the judges you stand before,"
"I fund the politicians who write your laws,"
"and I have the power to erase your name from history."
Carter whimpered,
tears streaming down his face,
his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
"Please,"
Carter begged,
"I will give her a divorce,"
"I will give her everything,"
"the house,"
"the money,"
"just let me live."
"You misunderstand,"
my father whispered,
releasing his jaw with a look of utter contempt,
"you have no money,"
"and this is no longer your house."
My father stood tall,
looking at the lead operative,
who stood ready for his commands.
"Tear this place apart,"
my father ordered,
his voice echoing through the ruined hallway.
"I want every computer,"
"every file,"
"every shred of evidence of his corrupt practice."
"By sunrise,"
my father continued,
"I want his firm dissolved,"
"his bank accounts emptied,"
"and his reputation completely destroyed."
Eleanor wailed,
beating her fists against the floor,
mourning the death of her wealth and status.
"You are a monster!"
Eleanor screamed,
spitting venom at my father,
"You are a devil!"
My father paused,
glancing back at the pathetic woman,
and offered a chilling,
predatory smile.
"No, madam,"
he corrected softly,
"I am merely a father,"
"protecting what is his."
He turned and walked out of the house,
the operatives moving in to execute his orders,
leaving Carter and Eleanor trapped in the nightmare they had created.
The cool night air washed over me as I was loaded into the chopper,
the deafening sound of the rotors drowning out the sirens in the distance.
My father climbed in beside me,
holding my hand tightly,
his presence a massive shield against the horrors of the world.
As the helicopter lifted off,
leaving the shattered suburban home far below in the darkness,
I closed my eyes,
finally allowing myself to rest.
May you like
The war was over,
my baby was safe,
