CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 6
My son was born four days later.
Too early.
Too small.
But alive.
I named him Gabriel because the first sound I heard after thinking I had lost everything was his heartbeat.
Adrian stood outside the neonatal unit window with one hand pressed against the glass, crying silently like a man afraid to waste even one second pretending to be strong.
Victor never saw him.
He was arrested before the funeral ended.
Serena cooperated within twenty-four hours.
People like her always think loyalty is romantic until prison becomes part of the conversation.
She admitted Victor had taken out the policy months earlier.
Admitted they planned the mountain trip.
Admitted she knew he wanted the money, the house, and a clean future without a wife or child in the way.
At trial, Victor’s attorney tried to call it an accident.
Then prosecutors played the funeral recording.
They showed the insurance claim.
They showed the helicopter rescue report.
They showed Serena’s messages.
They showed the call where Victor said I deserved to freeze.
The courtroom went silent.
Victor looked smaller than I remembered.
Not sorry.
Just trapped.
When the jury found him guilty, he turned and stared at me.
I held Gabriel against my chest and did not look away.
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For once, Victor had no power over whether we lived, stayed, left, or spoke.
That power belonged to us.
