When the food came, they stared at it.
“All of this is for us?” June asked.
“For you,” I said.
Sadie picked up a fry. “Can we eat until we’re full?”
I swallowed the ache in my throat. “Always.”
While they ate, I stepped three feet away, close enough to see them, far enough for them not to hear everything.
Then I made three calls.
The first was to my father.
He answered on the second ring. “Allison?”
“Dad,” I said. “It’s time.”
There was a pause. My father, General Thomas Hale, retired, never asked unnecessary questions. He heard what I did not say.
“Did he hurt you?”
“Not me.”
Another pause.
“The girls?”
“Yes.”
His breathing changed. A quiet, controlled shift.
“Tell me what you need.”
“Activate the trust protections. Notify Vale. Release the ownership documents. And whatever Warren signed last month—move forward.”
“Are you certain?”
