Hazel’s POV
“The appeal has been officially denied,” Julian said, reading from the message on his phone with a quiet, satisfied finality. “Penelope Chambers will remain incarcerated for the full extent of her original sentence, plus the additional conspiracy charges from the foundation incident.”
I set down my coffee cup, feeling something settle inside me that had been unsettled for months, a low, persistent hum of anxiety I hadn’t fully realized I was still carrying.
“It’s really over,” I said.
“It’s really over,” Julian confirmed. “No more appeals, no more letters, no more hired men with gas canisters. She’s out of our lives, Hazel. Completely.”
I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the past year finally begin to lift from my shoulders. We were sitting in the foundation’s small k
