My Mother-in-Law Slapped Me While I Was Pregnant at Christmas—But She Never Expected What Happened Next!

Daniel reached the Hale office as the fire trucks pulled up. He found Claire coughing on the sidewalk, wrapped in a security guard's jacket. When he hugged her, she grabbed his shirt.

"Grant's still inside."

"The firefighters know," Daniel said. "You're not going back."

A crew brought Grant out minutes later, conscious and furious. A scorched box of papers came out behind him. Investigators later found a trash can full of half-burned documents beside the shredder. Grant told police a cigarette had started the blaze. Nobody in the office believed him, and the security system had recorded him entering with a lighter.

Mara watched the news footage from Tess's couch. She couldn't forgive Grant. She also couldn't make herself wish he'd died. The idea that she might have to decide which human beings deserved saving frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

"Claire's okay," Tess said, ending a call. "They're checking her for smoke exposure, but she's talking. Mostly swearing."

"That sounds like Claire."

Later, Avery met with the fire investigator and received copies of documents voluntarily turned over by Henry and Daniel. The recovered pages were not the only evidence, but they were enough to verify the 2009 transfer's date, recipient, and authorization. Henry's signature appeared plainly at the bottom. Evelyn had approved the receiving company under a different account.

"They'll try to pin it on Dad," Claire warned.

"He did sign it," Mara said. "He has to own that."

"He wants to."

"Wanting it doesn't make the past smaller."

Mara drafted a statement to accompany the uncut dinner recording. She typed, deleted, and typed again. She refused to pretend the soup and slaps were justified. She also refused to let a staged confrontation bury the foundation's records.

Before she could post anything, Nadia called from Harbor House. Her voice shook.

"There's a notice on every door. The shelter says the building will close for redevelopment. They want all twenty-seven families out after New Year's."

Mara looked at the date on her phone. There were only four days left.