Chapter 10 - The Price of Freedom
The chaos that followed was swift and total. Eleanor Vance was escorted out in handcuffs under the blinding flashes of media cameras that had gathered outside the hotel. The Vance Foundation was seized, its bank accounts frozen, and within forty-eight hours, Julian Vance was arrested at a private airfield attempting to board a flight to a non-extradition country.
A week later, Jonah and I sat on the wooden porch of a small lakeside cottage we had rented far away from the city. The crisp autumn breeze rustled the golden leaves of the maple trees.
For the first time since I met him on the other side of that scratched prison glass, Jonah smiled. A real, untethered smile that reached his dark, soulful eyes.
"We did it," I said softly, resting my head against his shoulder. "It’s finally over. Toby got accepted to the state college with a full academic scholarship. The estate money your father legitimately left you was cleared by the courts. We are free, Jonah."
Jonah wrapped his strong arm around me, kissing the crown of my head. "You saved me, Clara. You saved my life before you even knew the truth, and you saved my soul when you believed in me."
May you like
"I loved you when you were a prisoner," I confessed, looking up at him, my heart overflowing with peace. "And I love you as a free man."
He leaned in, and our lips met in a kiss that tasted of freedom, relief, and a future untainted by shadows. For twenty-four hours, the world was completely perfect.
