Share

Chapter Eight

Author: Ogaedu
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-29 19:21:08

‎Grace did not meet Daniel Reed immediately.

‎She needed time, not to prepare arguments, but to quiet the part of herself that still reacted before thinking. Anger had once ruled her life. She would not let it guide her now.

‎The letter stayed in her bag for days.

‎At work, Grace remained focused. The upcoming review had changed the atmosphere. People spoke more carefully. Decisions were documented thoroughly. Transparency had become the new language, even among those who once avoided it.

‎During a team briefing, Grace was asked to present her assessment on a complex case. She stood calmly, spoke clearly, and finished without flourish.

‎Afterward, the room remained silent.

‎“That was thorough,” one executive said. “And brave.”

‎Grace did not respond to the compliment. Bravery was not something she felt. It was something she practiced.

‎That evening, Nathaniel watched her from the doorway as she reviewed notes.

‎“You’re quieter than usual,” he said.

‎“I’m thinking,” Grace replied.

‎“About him?”

‎“Yes.”

‎He nodded. “Whatever you decide, I’ll respect it.”

‎“I know,” she said. “That matters.”

‎Later that night, Grace finally sent a message.

‎Tomorrow. Public place. One hour.

‎The reply came almost instantly.

‎Thank you.

‎They met at a café far from the city center.

‎Daniel arrived early.

‎He looked older. Thinner. Less confident than she remembered.

‎Grace arrived on time.

‎She did not smile.

‎“You came,” Daniel said.

‎“Yes,” she replied. “For clarity. Not comfort.”

‎He nodded. “I understand.”

‎They sat in silence for a moment.

‎“I lied,” he said finally. “About everything that mattered.”

‎Grace listened.

‎“I was pressured,” he continued. “But I also benefited.”

‎“Yes,” Grace said. “That’s usually how it works.”

‎He swallowed. “I thought the case would fade.”

‎“It destroyed a life,” she replied calmly.

‎“I know,” he said. “I live with it.”

‎Grace studied him. “You live. I survived.”

‎He flinched but did not argue.

‎“I’m ready to submit a full statement,” he said. “Unedited. Unprotected.”

‎Grace nodded. “You should have done that five years ago.”

‎“Yes,” he agreed. “But I can do it now.”

‎She leaned forward slightly. “Do not do it for me.”

‎“I’m doing it for the truth,” he said.

‎She considered him carefully.

‎“Then do it properly,” she said. “No conditions.”

‎“I will,” he replied.

‎They stood.

‎Grace did not offer her hand.

‎When she returned home, Nathaniel was waiting.

‎“Did you meet him?” he asked.

‎“Yes.”

‎“And?”

‎“He’s ready to speak,” Grace replied. “Whether it matters depends on what follows.”

‎Nathaniel nodded. “It will matter.”

‎That night, Grace slept lightly.

‎She dreamed of walking through water, heavy but steady.

‎The next days were consumed by process.

‎Legal steps. Statements. Verifications.

‎Grace attended meetings but did not dominate them. She spoke when necessary. She withdrew when conversation became speculative.

‎At one meeting, a senior official asked her, “What do you want from this outcome?”

‎Grace answered without hesitation. “Correction. Accountability. Closure.”

‎“Not compensation?” he asked.

‎“No,” she replied. “Money doesn’t restore time.”

‎That answer shifted the room.

‎Nathaniel watched these developments from a careful distance. He participated only when required. He did not attempt to guide Grace’s choices.

‎One evening, as they shared a quiet dinner, he spoke.

‎“I was asked to resign from the advisory board,” he said.

‎Grace paused. “Because of this?”

‎“Yes.”

‎“And what did you say?”

‎“I accepted,” he replied.

‎Grace met his gaze. “Do you regret it?”

‎“No,” he said. “I regret that it took this to realize the cost of silence.”

‎She nodded.

‎Later that night, Grace stood on the balcony again.

‎The city looked different.

‎Not softer.

‎Clearer.

‎She realized something then.

‎She was no longer defined by what happened to her.

‎She was defined by how she responded to it.

‎The next morning, an official letter arrived.

‎A formal hearing had been scheduled.

‎Grace read it once.

‎She did not feel fear.

‎She felt ready.

‎Nathaniel found her later, holding the letter.

‎“It’s moving quickly,” he said.

‎“Yes,” she replied. “It always does when the truth stops waiting.”

‎“Do you want me there?” he asked.

‎“Yes,” she said. “But not beside me.”

‎“I understand,” he replied.

‎That night, Grace prepared.

‎She reviewed her statements.

‎She organized evidence.

‎She rested.

‎On the morning of the hearing, she dressed simply.

‎No statement pieces.

‎No armor.

‎Just herself.

‎Nathaniel drove her.

‎They did not speak much.

‎At the building, he stopped the car.

‎“This won’t be easy,” he said.

‎“No,” Grace replied. “But it will be honest.”

‎She stepped out.

‎As she walked toward the entrance, she felt something unfamiliar.

‎Not anger.

‎Not fear.

‎Resolve.

‎She did not look back

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Eight

    The book was released on a quiet Thursday. No midnight countdown. No dramatic launch event. Just a clean listing, a short announcement from the publisher, and a steady appearance across the spaces where thoughtful work tended to land. Grace woke that morning, made tea, and read the notice once. Then she closed her laptop and went about her day.At the office, nothing changed. A funding meeting ran long. A proposal needed revision. Someone disagreed with her recommendation, and they talked it through without tension. Grace found comfort in that normalcy. It confirmed what she already knew. The book did not replace her life. It sat beside it.Messages came in gradually. Some from people she knew. Others from names she didn’t. She read them later, when the day slowed. Most were simple. Thank you. This helped me understand something. I needed this. Grace accepted them without ceremony. She did not feel responsible for what readers did with the work. She had written it honestly. That was e

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Seven

    Winter arrived without drama. The city adjusted in small, practical ways. Coats emerged from closets. Sidewalk cafés retreated indoors. Conversations shortened in the cold, then lengthened again over shared tables. Grace moved through it all with a steadiness she no longer questioned.Her book entered production quietly. No countdowns. No public anticipation yet. The publisher sent cover drafts and layout notes. Grace reviewed them with care, not obsession. She offered precise feedback and trusted the rest. Control had become a tool, not a shield.At the nonprofit, the work deepened. A new initiative launched, focused on long-term structural reform rather than immediate relief. It was slower. Less visible. More effective. Grace chaired meetings where disagreement was welcomed and clarity demanded. She noticed how often people deferred to her now, not out of fear or reverence, but confidence. She had become reliable.Nathaniel transitioned gradually. He completed his existing consultin

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Six

    The first morning Grace woke without an agenda startled her. No meetings marked on the calendar. No edits waiting. No calls scheduled. The day stretched open in a way that once would have made her uneasy. Now it felt earned.She stayed in bed longer than usual, listening to the quiet rhythms of the house. Nathaniel was still asleep. She studied his face in the early light, noticing lines that had softened over time, tension that no longer lived permanently in his jaw. They had both changed. Not suddenly. Gradually, through sustained effort and restraint.Grace rose quietly and moved into the kitchen. She made coffee and stood by the window, watching the street below begin its slow pulse. People moving to work. Delivery trucks double-parked. A woman walking a dog that resisted every step. Ordinary life, uninterrupted. She had missed feeling part of it.Her phone buzzed once. A message from her agent confirming the final production timeline. Grace read it and set the phone face down. To

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Five

    The formal acknowledgment was released on a Monday morning, timed carefully to avoid spectacle. It did not trend. It did not explode. It appeared as a clean, factual statement issued by the review committee, written in language that left no room for emotion but no space for denial. Procedural failures were cited. Evidence mishandling confirmed. External influence acknowledged. The original outcome, while legally final, was declared ethically compromised.Grace read it once on her phone, then again on her laptop. The words were plain. That mattered. They did not dramatize her pain. They did not soften responsibility. They corrected the record, nothing more and nothing less.She closed the document and sat still.There was no rush of triumph. No tears. What she felt instead was a quiet internal shift, like something heavy being set down after years of carrying it without noticing how it bent her spine. Her breathing changed. Deeper. Slower.The nonprofit office responded with restraint.

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Four

    The first cool morning arrived quietly, without announcement. Grace noticed it when she stepped onto the balcony and felt air that did not cling to her skin. The city below looked the same, but something had shifted. She stayed there for a moment longer than usual, letting the breeze settle against her face, then went back inside.Nathaniel was already awake. He sat at the dining table with his laptop open, sleeves rolled up, coffee untouched. He looked up when she entered.“You’re up early,” he said.“So are you.”He closed the laptop partway. “I couldn’t sleep.”Grace poured herself water. “Bad or thoughtful?”He considered. “Thoughtful.”She nodded. That answer no longer unsettled her.They moved through the morning without urgency. Breakfast was simple. Conversation lighter than it had been in weeks. When Nathaniel left for a meeting, he paused by the door.“I’ll be late,” he said.“Okay.”He hesitated, then added, “Dinner?”“Yes.”That was enough.Grace spent the morning at the o

  • THE VENGEFUL BRIDE   Chapter Twenty-Three

    Spring arrived quietly. There were no dramatic shifts in weather, no sudden warmth that demanded attention. The mornings softened first. Light lingered longer on the walls. Grace noticed it in small ways, the way she no longer reached for a sweater immediately, the way windows stayed open just a little longer before dusk.Work carried on with steady rhythm. The nonprofit expanded its legal outreach into two additional regions, not because of ambition, but necessity. Requests had increased organically. Grace approved the move after careful review, not rushed by emotion. She trusted the structure she had helped design. It could hold growth without distortion.She spent more time mentoring younger advocates now, not instructing, but listening. She asked questions that encouraged them to think critically about impact rather than optics. Some struggled with that. Others embraced it. Grace did not push either way. She understood that conviction developed at different speeds.Nathaniel’s sch

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status