Chapter 14 - The Cell Block Visit
A month after the wedding incident, Ethan drove to the state correctional facility to attend a mandatory legal deposition requested by Claire’s defense team.
He sat across from Claire in a private interview room. Gone was the glamorous bride in the silver gown; Claire wore an orange prison jumpsuit, her golden hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face free of makeup and looking pale and hollowed out under the harsh fluorescent lights.
Claire looked at Ethan with deep bitterness, asking him why he was doing all of this for a girl he didn't even know, why he had ruined her life for a dead twin sister she had tried so hard to forget.
Ethan looked at her with calm, detached pity. “I didn't ruin your life, Claire,” he said quietly, his voice echoing in the small room. “You ruined it the day you decided that another human being's life was worth less than your social standing. You had everything, but you lacked the one thing that mattered—a soul.”
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Ethan stood up and walked toward the iron door, stopping just before the guard opened the latch. He turned back to face her one last time, delivering a message that left Claire staring in stunned silence.
“Nadia will inherit everything your father tried to steal,” Ethan said softly. “And she will grow up knowing that her real mother was a woman of courage, while her aunt was just a shadow in an orange suit.”
