Chapter 22: The Fall of Chloe

By the end of the week, Chloe Miller’s world had narrowed to a bed in a women’s transit hostel, a metal locker, and a communal bathroom shared with eleven strangers.

The room she occupied was clean but severe. Four narrow beds stood against white-painted brick walls,

Chapter 23: Leo’s Repentance

The kitchen at Buster’s Burger Joint smelled of hot oil, grilled onions, and industrial cleaner.

Leo Vance stood over a stainless-steel sink, scraping grease from a metal tray with a wire brush. His forearms ached, and the skin near his knuckles had become rough from r

Chapter 24: The Courtroom Climax

The final divorce hearing took place on a gray Monday morning.

Richard sat beside his attorney at one table. He no longer wore the Tom Ford suit that had once helped him appear successful. The suit had been sold months earlier to cover part of the Apex Capital sett