Our Enduring Flame

father, once a titan of the business world, was now a pariah. His photo was splashed ac

O, a humiliating end to a celebrated career. He retreated into t

ho used to greet me with warm hugs now crossed the street to avoid me. They saw me as a traitor,

omen who saw their own struggles reflected in my

r, and everyone was watching to see what would happen next. The threat I had received lingered in th

en' s office, looking over legal documents until the words bl

friends, the impending court battle, the anon

dropped the papers, scattering them across the floor. The room felt

as across the room in an instant, his hands on my

wn father... he looks at me like I' m a monster." The carefully constructed walls I had built a

ad lost her father too, not to death, but to his own g

irm on my shoulders, a solid anchor in my storm of grief. H

ofa and sat beside me. He didn't offer platit

picture. An old, grainy photo of my mother, looking young and happy, standing next to a

than a vague threat. This was a d

television interview, a desperate attempt to win back public sympathy

een crucified by my sister's lies. She was always unstable, prone t

. "But what about the docum

nage her affairs during a difficult time. Ava has twisted a gesture of kindness into something ugly and siniste

ance. She was using my pain against me,

response. We didn't issue a statement. We did something bolder. Damien called the tele

t the scandal was so huge, the rati

e lights were hot, the cameras like black, unblinking eyes. I

ould a woman who was simply 'helping a friend manage her affairs' need to be given controlling interest in a multi-million dollar com

't cry. I didn't raise my voice. I presented my case like a pro

esn't steal from the dying. Family doesn't gaslight a grieving daughter. My father and

lenge her. Let's both take a lie detector test, live on television, and answer one simple question: Did

sible position. If she refused, she would look guilty. If she accepted, she would be exposed.

city was watching. The war wasn't just about lawsuits and boardrooms anymore. It was about publ