CHAPTER 4: THE COLLAPSE

Security arrived within minutes.
Not for us.
For her.
Eleanor tried to leave—but two officers blocked her path.
“This is a misunderstanding,” she insisted. “I want my attorney.”
“You’ll get one,” the officer said calmly.
As they escorted her out, the room parted like a tide.
No one spoke to her.
No one defended her.
Not even Harrison.
He stood frozen, staring at the floor.
The empire she built on manipulation and cruelty—
Gone in under ten minutes.
I looked down at Sarah.
“You okay?”
She nodded, though her eyes were glassy.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I just… didn’t expect it to end like that.”
May you like
I squeezed her hand.
“Neither did she.”