Chapter 25 - A Letter from the Inside
A month later, summer warmth returned to California. The scandal had finally faded from the daily headlines, replaced by stories of Apex Dynamics' record-breaking global launch and Margaret's successful green venture fund.
Nathan was sitting on the sunlit patio of his Pacific Heights home when the mail arrived. Among the corporate reports was a white envelope with a federal prison return address: *Dublin Federal Correctional Institution.*
It was from Audrey.
Nathan opened the envelope and unfolded the handwritten letter.
*'Dear Nathan,*
*I know you probably threw this letter in the trash the moment you saw my name, but if you're reading this, thank you for giving me five minutes of your time.*
*I'm writing this from my cell. The prison library is quiet, and for the first time in my life, I don't have my father telling me who to be or what to steal. I've had a lot of time to think about what I did to you, to your mother, and even to Robert.*
*I wanted you to know that I pleaded guilty yesterday to all remaining civil counts. I waived my right to any financial trust payouts from my father’s estate. I don't want his money anymore. It was poisoned from the beginning.*
*Sophia visited me last week and told me what you two found in Geneva. I am so sorry, Nathan. I was a weapon in a war I didn't understand, but that doesn't excuse the choices I made. You deserved truth, and I gave you poison.*
*I don't expect you to forgive me. I just want you to know that I am finally trying to become someone who doesn't need to lie to survive.*
*I hope you and Sophia find the happiness that my father tried so hard to destroy.*
*Sincerely, Audrey.'*
May you like
Nathan read the letter twice. He felt no lingering anger, no surge of vengeance. The pain had finally been replaced by a quiet, settled closure.
He folded the letter, placed it inside his desk drawer, and looked out at the golden sunlight over the San Francisco Bay.
