Chapter 5
“Find someone? Who’re you looking for?” Abigail’s brow furrowed, her voice edged with curiosity.
“A death row inmate’s daughter,” Sally said, her tone even. “The woman saved my life in prison. I owe her. She asked me to look after her kid once I got out.”
Abigail nodded, careful. “What’s the girl’s name? How old?”
Sally touched her jaw in thoughts. “Lillian Simone. Six.”
Her voice softened, her face a bit less pale.
“Got it. I’ll get the divorce papers drafted fast,” Abigail said, tucking the blanket around her.
She paused, and then went on, “As for the girl, I’ll have people start searching. It might take some time, but I’ll let you know the second we find anything.”
“Thanks, Abigail…” Sally’s lips curved into a weak, forced smile.
Abigail’s eyes softened with concern, noticing the sickly pallor under that strained grin.
She patted Sally’s hand. “Your only job right now is to get better. Everything else, especially Brad and Nick, can wait.”
At the mention of those names, Sally’s faint smile faded, her warmth cooling.
Abigail pushed on, unfazed by her silence. “If Brad and Nick could at least take a look at the footage before they sided with that woman…
“Just one look, you probably wouldn’t have ended up in prison. And you wouldn’t be dealing with all this now…”
She trailed off, her words heavy with sympathy for what Sally had been through.
Sally’s lips twitched upward again, but she stayed quiet.
She’d made peace with it before facing them again.
Even if they’d found the footage, or if it had cleared her, Brad and Nick would’ve brushed it off, blaming someone else.
In the end, she’d have ended up behind bars anyway.
She’d died once, in a way. Lingering on the past was pointless.
“Sally…” Abigail’s voice was soft, pulling her back.
Sally blinked, about to respond, when her phone buzzed, cutting through their conversation.
It was the police station. They’d found the lion statues and needed her to come by.
Sally hung up and tossed the covers aside, standing despite her wobbliness.
“What’s so urgent?” Abigail grabbed her thin wrist, worried.
Sally slipped on her shoes, her expression hardening. “The police found the lion statues. I’m heading over now.”
“But you’re still feverish. You just took your meds–your body’s not up for this,” said Abigail.
“I’m okay.” Sally squeezed Abigail’s arm, firm but reassuring. “I’ve got this.”
Abigail saw the determination in her eyes and gave in, walking her downstairs herself.
Half an hour later, Sally stepped into the police station and spotted three familiar faces in the distance.
They looked, for all the world, like a perfect little family.
“Mrs. Zale, we found your lion statues at Miss Yasmin’s residence,” the officer said, holding out photos. “They’re too precious to
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move, so please confirm if these are yours.”
Sally’s brow creased as she looked over the images. No doubt–those were hers.
“Yeah, that’s them,” she nodded.
“Sally, I gave those lions to Lena. There’s no theft here,” Brad’s deep, irritated voice broke in from behind her. “Stop making a fuss and clear this up with the officer.”
She turned, meeting his dark, stormy glare.
“Dad’s right!” Nick’s small face tightened, copying his father. “Dad gave them to Lena. They’re ours anyway–how’s that stealing?”
Sally ignored her son, her eyes fixed on Brad, cold and steady. “Those statues are my property from before we got married. You had no right to touch them, let alone give them away without my permission.”
“Name your price,” Brad said, stepping back, his voice sharp. “I’ll buy them. That good enough?”
Sally’s brow twitched.
Fresh out of prison, with no job, she needed money. Badly.
“Besides,” Brad said sharply, “you keep claiming these are your pre–marital property. Where’s the proof they were yours before we got married?”
Lena jumped in, her voice soft but pointed. “Sally, Brad’s got a point. You’re married–everything’s joint. Why fuss about before or after the wedding?”
“Mom,” Nick added, his small face scrunched up, “those lions aren’t even nice. Why do you care so much? You don’t need them back.”
Sally stood there as the three of them teamed up, their words, stacking against her.
‘How sweet, Sally scoffed inside.
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Then she let out a cold laugh. “I carved those statues myself. Are you going to pretend that didn’t happen?”
Her words hit like a slap. Brad and Nick went quiet.
”
Lena bit her lip, eyes tearing up as she turned to Brad. “Brad, it’s my fault. Those statues were on my show. It’s not that I don’t want to give them back, but…”
Returning them would make her look like a thief.
Brad’s jaw clenched. He faced Sally, his tone like ice. “Enough! They’re pieces of crystals: Name your price. I’ll pay for Lena.” “Pay?” Sally’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Fine. One million dollars.”
Her lion statues were unique, irreplaceable.
A million? That was fair.
“A million dollars?” Lena’s face reddened with outrage. “Sally, you’re ripping us off!”
Brad snorted, his voice dripping with scorn. “So it’s not about cash, huh?”
Sally didn’t bother answering. Her face stayed blank, unfazed by their jabs.
Fresh out of prison, she needed to restart her life. That million would be her foundation.
“Give me your account number. I’ll send it now,” Brad said, his voice thick with irritation, his eyes burning with disgust.
After refusing to come back to the Zales, Sally’s making all this nonsense just to mess with me,‘ he thought.
She was so pathetic to him now.
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If it weren’t for his grandpa, Brad would have ditched her already.
Sally didn’t flinch. She jotted down a familiar bank account number and flicked it to him.
*****
As Sally walked away from the police station, a familiar voice called out, “Wait up.”
She stopped, turning with a blank look. “What now?”
Brad stared at her, his expression hard. “Grandpa misses you. Uncle Jaxon’s coming back in a couple days, and we’re having a family dinner. Be at the house Wednesday evening.”
He didn’t want her there.
A woman with a criminal record would only embarrass him.
But with her release lining up like this, and Jaxon’s return, skipping out would piss off Grandpa.
Plus, Jaxon’s clout was huge. If Sally didn’t show, it’d look bad.
Sally paused, her mind flashing to Jaxon’s sharp, almost captivating face.
“You hear me?” Brad barked, his voice harsher as he caught her silence, his brow furrowing.
Sally blinked, her thoughts snapping back.
After a moment, she gave a slight nod. “Got it.”
But a flicker of unease stirred inside her. ‘Why is Jaxon back out of the blue?‘
