Chapter 5 - Landing in the Emerald City
The Boeing 777 descended through the cool, misty clouds over Seattle, touching down smoothly at Sea-Tac International Airport.
When I switched my phone off airplane mode, the device began chiming incessantly like a slot machine hitting a jackpot.
Forty-two missed calls from Nathan Cole.
Eighteen voicemails.
Twenty-six frantic text messages from Patricia Cole, alternating between furious threats, pathetic apologies, and desperate pleas for me to call them back immediately.
I scrolled through the messages with absolute, tranquil detachment.
Rebecca, please pick up! Vanessa lied to us! The baby isn't mine!
Rebecca, think of Sophie and Daniel! A family belongs together! I will sign over the mansion to you!
Rebecca, call my son back! He is having a nervous breakdown in the hospital lobby! Have some Christian mercy!
I smiled, selected the entire message thread, and pressed Delete.
Sophie looked up at me, clutching her small backpack. "Who was texting you so much, Mom?"
"Just telemarketers, sweetheart," I replied, kissing her forehead. "Come on, Grandpa is waiting at baggage claim."
We walked through the airport terminal into the crisp, clean Pacific Northwest air.
Waiting near the revolving luggage carousel was my father, Robert Sterling—retired senior auditor for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, a man who had taught me that numbers were the only truth that never wavered.
"Mom!" Daniel shouted, sprinting across the polished floor into his grandfather's open arms.
My father scooped him up, laughing warmly, before pulling Sophie and me into a massive, comforting hug that smelled of cedar, fresh rain, and unconditional love.
"Welcome home, my brave girl," my father murmured into my hair. "Did he sign the final release?"
May you like
"Every single page," I smiled, stepping back. "Nathan thought he was walking away with forty million in assets and leaving me with a bankrupt shell."
My father let out a rich, booming chuckle that turned heads in the baggage claim. "Then he’s about to discover why you never cross a forensic accountant."
