Chapter 9: A Warning–1
[Sarah]
My phone buzzed, cutting through her instructions. Sullivan MedTech’s general counsel. My heart stuttered as I glanced at the screen.
“I have to take this,” I said, stumbling to my feet. “It’s about my father’s company.”
“Sarah.” The doctor’s use of my first name made me pause. “Whatever’s happening, remember your health has to come first now.”
–
I barely heard her as I answered the call. The world tilted sideways at the news: Dad had suffered a massive stroke. Critical condition. The words came through a tunnel, distant and distorted, like they were describing someone else’s life.
“No, no, no…” The phone slipped from my numb fingers. This couldn’t be happening. Not
Dad. Not now.
The drive to headquarters was endless, each traffic light an eternity. Memories ambushed me at every turn. Now those same streets felt like they were closing in, suffocating me with their indifference to my world falling apart.
The gleaming glass tower of Sullivan MedTech loomed ahead – my childhood playground turned mausoleum. I pressed my forehead against the cool window, fighting waves of
nausea.
Katherine’s voice carried through the medical bay’s doorway before I saw her. “-couldn’t afford the experimental treatment anyway. The company’s practically bankrupt.“/
I rounded the corner- this fragile figure drowning in white sheets couldn’t be my father.
“Sarah.” His voice was weak but startlingly clear. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Katherine’s perfect features arranged themselves into an expression of concern. “Daddy
needs rest. We shouldn’t-”
“Get out.” The ice in my voice surprised even me. “Now.”
She fled, but not before I caught the calculation behind her tears. I moved to my father’s
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Chapter 9: A Warning–1
bedside, “I’m sorry.” His fingers trembled as they sought mine. “For everything.”
“Dad, don’t-”
“Let me finish.” Each word seemed to cost him precious energy. “I failed you. Failed your mother. Chose ambition over family. Built an empire but lost what mattered most.”
Memories flooded in. Love and resentment tangled in my throat.
“Mom’s on her way,” I managed.
“Margaret.” His eyes filled. “My biggest regret. The affairs… the new family… I thought I
could have it all…”
I watched my father’s breathing steady, remembering Katherine’s words about experimental treatments. How dare they deny him care while living off his wealth?
Mom arrived as the sun was setting. She moved to his bedside, but I caught the tremor in
her hands as she checked his vitals.
“Margaret.” Dad’s voice was fading. “Forgive me.”
She didn’t speak, but her fingers brushed his forehead with infinite gentleness. The gesture carried decades of history – love, betrayal, dignity in the face of humiliation.
He was gone before the stars emerged. The sound that tore from my throat was primal,
raw with a pain I’d never known existed. Mom caught me as my knees gave way, holding me as I sobbed against her shoulder like I hadn’t since I was a little girl.
ར་ཇཌ ཇ ཙ ཀླུ
The next three days melted into each other like a watercolor painting left in the rain. I moved through funeral arrangements in a daze, signing papers I barely read, nodding at
condolences I hardly heard. Each night, I curled up in my old bedroom at Mom’s apartment, sobbing into the same worn stuffed penguin Dad had bought me after my first science fair victory.
“Why couldn’t you have just been faithful to Mom? Why did you have to destroy everything?” The tears came harder, pregnancy hormones amplifying every emotion until I could barely breathe. “I hate you,” I choked out, then immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I’m so sorry. Please come back…”
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Chapter 9: A Warning–1
The morning of the funeral dawned appropriately gray. Mom helped me into my black dress, her gentle fingers brushing tears from my cheeks. “Your father loved you, Sarah.
Despite everything.”
“Katherine’s gone.” My voice cracked. “Did you know? Just disappeared after the will
reading. The lawyers can’t find her.” I laughed bitterly.
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