They Took Me Into A Back Office So They Could Take Over What Was Mine. My Son And His Wife Laughed, “You’re On Your Own. Everything Is Ours.” But When The Supervisor Closed The Door, He Noticed The Ring On My Hand. He Leaned In And Whispered “TONIGHT YOU’LL KNOW…”

“Transport will be here in about 20 minutes, Mrs. Dawson. Do you need to use the restroom?

Water.”

His voice was kind. That surprised me. I hadn’t expected kindness on a day like this.

Not after everything that had happened. “Water, please,” I murmured. My voice came out broken.

I hadn’t had anything to drink for hours. Frank nodded and slowly rose from his chair. His knees cracked as he did so, a sound I recognized because my own joints did the same thing every morning.

He was an older man, probably a year or two from retirement, with that weight on his shoulders that comes from decades doing a job that no one thanks you for and no one wants. He headed toward a small table in the corner where there was a plastic water pitcher and stacked disposable cups. His back was turned.

That was my moment, the only one I would have. With a movement I had mentally rehearsed a hundred times, I slid the folded note onto his desk, right next to the folder with my documents. I positioned it in such a way that it looked like part of the official papers, but visible enough for him to notice when he returned.

My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure Frank could hear it from where he was. My pulse hammered in my ears like war drums. The escorting officer was gone.

Ethan and Brittany were outside celebrating, and Frank still had his back to me, filling a cup with water that trembled slightly from the weight of his own tired hands. He returned with the cup and extended it to me. I took the cup with my handcuffed hands, the chains jingling slightly, grateful to have something to do with them, something that would hide the trembling I couldn’t control.

I drank slowly, even though every cell in my body screamed to swallow it all in one gulp. The water was lukewarm with that plastic taste that cheap things have, but it was the most delicious thing I had tasted in days. Frank sat down again, and his gaze immediately fell on the note.

I saw the exact moment he registered it. His eyes narrowed, confused. He remained still for a second, looking at the paper as if it had appeared by magic.

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