I looked out over the city.
For years, I had believed justice would come like thunder.
Loud.
Immediate.
Impossible to miss.
But justice came late.
It came tired.
It came through paperwork, evidence, patience, and a woman everyone underestimated until she finally stood up.
And when it arrived, it did not just return my money.
It returned my name.
My dignity.
My daughter’s safety.
My freedom.
Simone asked, “Do you feel like you won?”
I thought of Dominic in his tuxedo, standing in my hospital room with a contract in his hand, believing I would sign away my life because I was too tired to fight.
Then I thought of my daughter’s tiny fingers wrapped around mine.
I smiled.
