Chapter 6 - ISAAC’S LAST MOVE
Isaac violated the no-contact order on a Thursday.
Not by calling.
He sent flowers.
Two hundred white roses.
My favorite.
Or what he thought were my favorite.
They were actually my mother’s.
He had never noticed.
The card said:
Come home. We can fix this before your brothers destroy everything.
I gave the flowers to a hospital.
Gave the card to Julian.
Two days later, Isaac sent a video apology through a reporter.
Tears.
Soft lighting.
No tie.
He said:
“I take full responsibility for losing my temper.”
Julian paused the video.
“See that?”
“What?”
“Losing my temper.”
“So?”
“He’s framing assault as emotional dysregulation.”
Marcus looked impressed.
“Lawyer brain is exhausting.”
Isaac continued:
“My wife and I had a complicated private relationship that outsiders have misrepresented.”
I turned it off.
“No more.”
Then Clover called.
From a protected location.
“I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Isaac has a second set of books.”
I closed my eyes.
“Of course.”
“Where?”
“Boat house at the Vance lake property.”
“Why tell me?”
“Because he knows investigators don’t have them.”
“Then tell investigators.”
“I did.”
“Good.”
“But there’s something about you.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Life insurance.”
Silence.
“What?”
“Isaac increased your policy six months ago.”
“How much?”
“Fifty million.”
My hands went cold.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Arthur?”
“No.”
“Wendy?”
“No.”
“Who benefited?”
“Vance Family Holdings.”
I sat.
Not Isaac personally.
Family company.
Still.
The memory of thirty strikes changed again.
Clover whispered:
“I’m sorry.”
I ignored that.
“Did he ever talk about me dying?”
“No.”
“Accidents?”
She hesitated.
That was enough.
“What?”
“He joked once.”
My body went cold.
“What joke?”
“When your car brakes were replaced in July.”
I stopped breathing.
My brakes had failed on the highway.
Mechanic blamed defective installation.
No crash.
I pulled over.
Isaac told me I was dramatic.
“What did he say?”
Clover’s voice broke.
“He said, ‘Flora survives everything just to spite me.’”
Silence.
Julian immediately contacted investigators.
The mechanic records were reopened.
A technician had signed off on parts he later denied installing.
Payment from a Vance vendor followed three days later.
Not proof Isaac ordered anything.
Enough for investigation.
My safety changed.
Noah increased security.
This time, he asked first.
“Yes.”
One word.
I hated needing it.
Accepted it anyway.
Three nights later, Isaac disappeared.
His ankle monitor had not been required under bail.
His passport had been surrendered.
But rich people had boats.
Private aircraft.
Friends.
Caleb found one pattern.
Isaac had liquidated cryptocurrency.
Not enough to save him.
Enough to run.
Then Henry started barking at midnight.
I woke.
Security lights outside.
My phone rang.
Noah.
“Stay upstairs.”
I froze.
“Why?”
“Someone breached the west perimeter.”
My heart pounded.
“Isaac?”
“We don’t know.”
I looked toward the hallway.
Then remembered my rule.
Nobody decides for me.
“What do you need me to do?”
Noah paused.
“Lock your door.”
“Anything else?”
“Stay away from windows.”
“Okay.”
That was different from an order.
Clear.
Useful.
I locked the door.
Henry stayed beside me.
Five minutes felt like an hour.
Then Noah called again.
“It’s Isaac.”
My skin went cold.
“Where?”
“Grounds.”
“Armed?”
“No visible weapon.”
“What does he want?”
“You.”
Of course.
Police were already coming.
I looked at the security camera feed.
Isaac stood near the greenhouse.
Snow falling.
No coat.
Hands raised.
He looked wrecked.
Security men surrounded at distance.
He shouted toward the house.
“FLORA!”
My whole body remembered the ballroom.
The crop.
His hand.
Then I did something I did not expect.
I went downstairs.
Noah saw me.
“What are you doing?”
“Talking.”
“No.”
I stared.
He caught himself.
Then:
“I strongly advise against it.”
“Better.”
“Flora.”
“Police are here?”
“Two minutes.”
“Security around him?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll stay inside the glass sunroom.”
He hated it.
But nodded.
Choice.
I stood behind locked glass doors.
Isaac stood outside twenty feet away.
He saw me.
His face crumpled.
“Flora.”
I pressed the intercom.
“You violated the order.”
“I had nowhere else.”
The exact words Wendy had used.
Interesting.
“You have lawyers.”
“They abandoned me.”
“You have friends.”
“They disappeared.”
“You have family.”
“My father blames me.”
“Your mother left.”
His face twisted.
“You took her.”
“No.”
“She left.”
That difference enraged him.
“You ruined us.”
“No.”
I said it calmly.
“You did.”
“We can fix this.”
“No.”
“I love you.”
“No.”
“I do.”
“You tied me to a ceiling.”
His face changed.
“I lost control.”
“No.”
The same lesson.
“You chose to hurt me thirty times.”
He started crying.
“Please.”
No sympathy came.
Only sadness.
“You called my family gangsters.”
“They are.”
“No.”
I looked toward Noah.
“They protected me without touching you.”
“That doesn’t make them good.”
“This isn’t about them.”
Isaac stared.
“What do you want?”
I thought.
For months.
Maybe years.
I had wanted him to understand.
To feel ashamed.
To regret me.
Now?
“I want you to stay away from me.”
His face broke.
“Forever?”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer.
Security moved.
“Stop.”
He stopped.
Then:
“Clover betrayed me.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“You betrayed me.”
“Your company.”
“Your employees.”
“Your mother.”
“Her too.”
“And probably yourself.”
Police lights appeared through the trees.
Isaac looked back.
Panic.
“Flora.”
I said nothing.
“Tell them not to arrest me.”
“No.”
“You can.”
“No.”
“Your brothers can fix this.”
That was the saddest thing he ever said.
He still thought love meant making consequences disappear.
“No.”
Police approached.
Isaac backed away.
Then ran.
Not toward me.
Toward the woods.
He made it seventy yards.
Slipped on ice.
Police caught him.
No dramatic gunfire.
No heroic takedown.
Just a wealthy man face-down in snow because he refused to stop when told.
I watched through glass.
Then turned away.
Noah stood behind me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good answer.”
I almost laughed.
May you like
He put one arm around me.
This time, I leaned in.
