Chapter 8 - THE SUNRISE
Two years later.
The morning air in upstate New York was crisp, smelling of pine needles and damp earth. I stood on the porch of my new cabin, holding a steaming mug of black coffee, watching the sun crest over the distant mountains. The sky was a brilliant canvas of oranges, pinks, and golds, chasing away the last lingering shadows of the night.
Grant Mercer was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at ADX Florence, the highest-security supermax prison in the country. His empire had been dismantled, the assets liquidated, and the funds redistributed to domestic violence shelters across the Midwest—a poetic justice orchestrated by the Attorney General's office.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with cold, clean air. It didn't hurt to breathe anymore. My ribs had healed. The bruises had faded completely, leaving behind a woman forged in fire and absolute resilience.
My phone buzzed on the wooden railing. I glanced at the screen. It was a text from Agent Marcus Vance.
The New York AG wants to know if you've read over the contract. They really want you back as a Senior Lead Investigator.
I smiled, typing a quick reply. Tell them I'll be in the office on Monday. But I'm taking the corner office.
May you like
I set the phone down and closed my eyes, letting the morning sun warm my face. I had survived the darkest nightmare imaginable. I had taken a monster’s greatest weapon—his power—and used it to annihilate him. I was no longer a victim hiding in a golden cage, memorizing the creak of the floorboards.
I was Emily Mercer, the woman who brought down an empire. And for the first time in my life, my future belonged entirely, unequivocally, to me.
