Chapter 12 - The Visit
That afternoon, I walked through the heavy security gates of the county detention facility.
I didn't bring Paisley; she was safe at the park with Maya and Chloe, eating ice cream and laughing in the sunshine. But I needed to look Seth in the eye one last time.
The visiting room was sterile and cold, partitioned by thick scratched plexiglass. Seth was brought in by a guard and sat down heavily on the metal stool. He looked hollowed out. The luxury haircut was gone, his eyes were sunken, and his hands trembled as he picked up the telephone receiver.
I picked up mine.
"Are you happy, Kallie?" Seth rasped into the receiver, his voice dripping with venom. "Dad is ruined. The company is in receivership. Mom is having a nervous breakdown at home, and I’m facing five to ten years in state prison. Did you get what you wanted?"
"I wanted you to keep your hands off my daughter," I replied calmly. "Everything that happened after that was the consequence of your own choices."
"She was just a toddler!" Seth yelled, tears of self-pity welling in his eyes. "It was just a slap! It didn't mean anything! Why couldn't you just let it go?!"
I leaned forward against the glass, my voice unwavering.
"It meant everything to Paisley, Seth. It showed her whether her mother would protect her or sacrifice her to protect a bully’s feelings. My parents sacrificed me to protect you your entire life. They taught you that you could hurt whoever you wanted because money and family silence would always clean up your mess."
Seth gripped the phone tighter, his knuckles white. "Dad will get me out. Julian will find a loophole. You haven't won anything."
I gave him a sad, pitying smile.
"Julian was arrested three hours ago, Seth. And Dad was ousted from the company. The federal government froze every single family trust account this morning. There is no money left to buy your way out. There are no expensive lawyers. You are going to face a public jury, and you are going to be judged by twelve ordinary people who actually care about children."
Seth’s jaw dropped. The last shred of arrogant hope died behind his eyes. He realized, with crushing finality, that the Vance safety net had vanished forever.
"Kallie... please," he whispered, breaking down into ragged, ugly sobs against the glass. "Kallie, I’m your brother. Talk to the DA. Tell them to give me probation. Please, I can't survive in prison..."
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"You should have thought about mercy before you struck a helpless baby, Seth," I said softly.
I hung up the receiver, stood up from the stool, and walked toward the exit without looking back.