---- Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Aimee Ramirez POV: | found the journal on my desk the next morning, exactly where | had left it. A cold knot of dread formed in my stomach. He had read it. He had seen the ugly, twisted truth of my obsession. Clara came in, her face pale. "He's gone, Ms. Ramirez. He resigned. His final paycheck is waiting for him in HR. He never picked it up." Gone. Just like that. The central focus of my life for the past few months, the target of all my rage and pain, had simply vanished. | should have felt relieved. Vindicated. Instead, | felt a bewildering sense of panic. The game had ended, but not on my terms. He had walked off the board. | spent the day in a fog, unable to concentrate. The cold satisfaction of my revenge was gone, replaced by a disquieting emptiness. What was | supposed to do now? That evening, Anderson took me to a charity gala. It was the biggest social event of the season. | wore a stunning silver gown, a queen in her element, but | felt like an imposter. | smiled, | networked, | made speeches, but my mind was elsewhere. ---- "Are you alright?" Anderson asked, his hand warm on my arm. "You seem a million miles away." "I'm fine," | lied. Later, as | was speaking with a donor, a commotion at the entrance drew my attention. A man, thin and haggard, dressed in a worn, ill-fitting suit, was arguing with a security guard. My heart stopped. It was Kyle. He wasn't trying to get in. He was handing the guard a thick envelope. "Please," | heard him say, his voice raw and desperate. "Just make sure she gets this." The guard took the envelope and shoved Kyle back, out into the cold night. A moment later, the guard approached me. "This is for you, Ms. Ramirez." My hands trembled as | took the envelope. Inside was not a letter, but a stack of documents. Financial records. Bank statements. And a sworn affidavit It was everything. A detailed, meticulous account of Karma's and her family's embezzlement scheme. He had spent the last few weeks not just wallowing in his misery, but investigating. He had gathered irrefutable proof that they had been conning him from the beginning. He had done the work ---- my own private investigators had been unable to do. At the bottom of the pile was a single sheet of paper. A handwritten note. Aimee, This is not for forgiveness. | know | don't deserve that. This is for you. So you know that my betrayal was born of stupidity, not a lack of love. | was a fool, manipulated by a predator. That doesn't excuse what | did, but | hope it gives you some peace. This is everything you need to put Karma and her family away for a very long time. It's the last thing | can do for you. Be happy. You deserve it. Kyle. | looked up from the note, my vision blurred with tears | didn't understand. | ran to the entrance, pushing through the crowd. | saw him on the street corner, a lonely figure under the cold glare of a streetlamp. He looked up, and our eyes met. He gave me a small, sad smile. A smile of farewell. Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness. And | knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that this time, he was gone for good.