Chapter 6 - The Freezing Circle
The winter of 2026 did not break easily in Chicago. By February, the snow had packed into hard, gray ice along the edges of Michigan Avenue, and the wind off the lake was so cold it made the glass windows of the Vanguard Tower groan under the pressure.
I sat in the private library of my penthouse apartment, a cup of redbush tea in my hand, watching the snow fall against the glass. The room was warm, the air smelling of cedarwood and dried lavender.
The door opened, and Director Vance stepped inside, carrying a blue folder. "The criminal indictments were handed down an hour ago, Cassidy. Richard Morrison has accepted a plea deal—eighteen months at a minimum-security facility in Wisconsin. He’s agreed to testify against the sub-contractors who were helping him move the cash."
"And Brendan?" I asked, not looking away from the window.
"He’s working at a private car wash near the rail yards," Vance said, his face expressionless. "He tried to apply for a management position at three different logistics firms, but Arthur had already sent the forensic audit logs to every compliance officer in the state. He’s unhireable in the shipping industry. He’s living in a one-bedroom apartment above a dry cleaner."
"What about the girlfriend? Jessica?"
Vance gave a short, rare nod of approval. "She left for Miami three days after the eviction. She took a job as a hostess at a club on South Beach, but she was fired last night after she tried to use a stolen corporate card from her previous relationship. She’s currently facing fraud charges in Dade County."
I took a slow sip of my tea, feeling the warmth spread down my throat. My daughter was seven months along now, her movements strong and regular, a constant reminder that the future was growing inside me, completely untouched by the mud of the past.
The telephone on the desk buzzed once. It was Arthur.
"Cassidy," he said through the speaker. "The final divorce decree has been signed by the judge. The Morrison name has been legally removed from your personal records. You are officially Cassidy Vance again."
"Thank you, Arthur," I said. "And the estate? The house in the suburbs?"
"The demolition crew finished their work yesterday," Arthur said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "The limestone structure has been cleared. The ground is being prepped for the new Vance Children’s Hospital wing. We’re laying the foundation as soon as the ground thaws in April."
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I clicked the intercom off and looked down at my hands. They were dry, clean, and perfectly steady. The freezing water that Diane had poured over my head hadn't broken me; it had simply washed away the last remnants of an obligation that had kept me trapped in a room full of wolves.
The circle was closed. The ice had done its work.
