Chapter 7: The Hidden Threat
The basement was gone, replaced by light and laughter—but Nathan knew Victoria wasn’t finished. She had been transferred to a high-security facility awaiting sentencing, yet her lawyers kept filing appeal after appeal, dragging the process out for months.
One evening, Liam ran into his study holding a crumpled envelope.
"Daddy? This came for you. But it doesn't have a return address."
Nathan opened it carefully. Inside was a single photo—taken just that morning, of the children playing in their new garden studio. Scrawled on the back in jagged red ink: You can tear down walls. You can’t hide forever.
His blood ran cold. No one but trusted staff knew where the children spent their days. No one but Victoria had any reason to send this.
He called Marcus immediately. "How did someone get this photo? Who has access to the grounds?"
"That’s not all," Marcus said grimly. "I just got word—two of the guards we posted at the courthouse were fired today. The judge is considering her request for a new trial. She claims she has new evidence."
Nathan looked at the photo again. Victoria wasn’t just fighting her sentence. She was coming for his family.
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