“One day, every one of you will regret this,” I said.
Sheila burst into laughter.
“Regret getting rid of a jobless ex-con? Come on, Summer. Be serious.”
I picked up my suitcase and walked away without turning around.
After several blocks, I found a cheap motel close to the subway station.
Inside that tiny room, I cried for the first time since leaving prison.
But the tears did not last long.
I pulled out my phone, opened my banking app, and checked my balance. Ten million dollars appeared on the screen. That fortune had not come from my relatives. It had come from Raymond Dalton, the wealthiest businessman in the state.
During a massive fire inside the prison, I had rescued his only daughter, Samantha. She had been trapped inside a room filled with smoke. I carried her into the prison yard before collapsing beside her.
Three days afterward, Mr. Dalton came to see me in the infirmary.
