Chapter 17 - Masks Off
Two weeks before Amy and Julian's wedding, a final visit was required to close the emotional chapter of the past.
Inside the visiting room of the Federal Correctional Institution in Upstate New York, Maverick Bennett sat behind a glass partition, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit. His hair was cut short, his posture slumped, his former arrogance completely gone.
Amy sat on the other side of the glass, wearing a chic white coat.
Maverick picked up the telephone handset. Amy did the same.
"You came," Maverick said raspy, looking down at his hands. "I didn't think you would."
"I came to deliver a message, Maverick," Amy said calmly through the receiver.
"Amy... I'm so sorry," Maverick stammered, tears forming in his eyes. "Every single night in this place, I think about what I lost. I had a good woman who truly cared for me, and I threw it all away for greed and my mother's pressure. I was a coward."
Amy listened quietly, feeling no anger, no pain—only a quiet, profound pity for the man sitting across from her.
"You were a coward, Maverick," Amy agreed gently. "You allowed yourself to be used as a weapon against people who loved you. But I didn't come here to hear your apology."
"Then why are you here?" Maverick asked softly.
"I came to tell you that I forgive you," Amy said.
Maverick gasped, looking up in shock. "You... you forgive me? After everything I did?"
"I forgive you for my own peace, Maverick, not for yours," Amy explained, her voice firm and clear. "Holding onto anger toward you would mean leaving a piece of my heart in Room 237. I refuse to carry that weight anymore. I am letting go."
Maverick closed his eyes, a silent sob escaping his throat. "Are you... are you going to marry Julian?"
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"Yes," Amy replied, a tender smile touching her lips. "I am marrying a man who respects me, who protects me, and who loves me unconditionally."
Amy placed the handset back onto the cradle, stood up, and walked away without looking back. Behind the glass, Maverick watched her leave, realizing with utter clarity that the woman he had tried to destroy had become entirely untouchable.
