Chapter 18 - Confessions in the Dark
Following the trial, Daniel visited Vanessa Reed one last time at the federal detention facility upon her explicit request before her transfer to a maximum-security prison in West Virginia.
They sat opposite each other in a small visitation room, separated by a thick glass partition.
"Why did you ask to see me, Vanessa?" Daniel asked, his tone cold and detached.
Vanessa looked at him through the glass, her dark eyes hollowed by defeat. "I wanted to know... if you ever truly loved me, Daniel. Even for a moment during those six years."
Daniel looked at her calmly, without hatred, but with complete finality. "I loved the idea of a devoted woman who helped me care for my daughter when I was broken. But that woman was a lie, Vanessa. You never existed. You were just a shadow built on Emily's stolen life."
Vanessa bowed her head, fresh tears falling onto the metallic table. "I destroyed my life for nothing..."
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"You destroyed your life because you chose greed and cruelty over truth," Daniel said quietly. "I hope you find remorse in the years ahead."
Daniel stood up, turned his back on the glass wall, and walked out into the bright afternoon sunlight without looking back.
