Chapter 7 - Rising from the Ashes
Two years passed. Botanica Jade grew into an international power brand. Zoey was now four years old—vibrant, joyful, and brilliant. We moved into a five-acre estate surrounded by lavender fields in the hills of North Carolina.
During a charity gala at our estate launching the Zoey Foundation, Richard Swift arrived at my security gate asking to speak to me.
I met him in the garden tea house. He was frayed and worn. "Things have been terrible, Jade. My mom's health deteriorated. She lives in a tiny two-bedroom apartment with me and Jackson. Thomas works two jobs—at an auto shop and driving night deliveries. My mother spends every day weeping, watching old photos of when you used to host family dinners."
Richard wept. "Can't you find it in your heart to grant her one wish? She just wants to see Zoey once. To say she’s sorry before her health gets worse."
May you like
I looked across the lawn, watching Zoey chasing butterflies in her bright blue dress, free from fear and contempt.
"No," I said firmly. "My daughter was not born to endure your mother's contempt. And she was not born to be used as a moral absolution for your mother's deathbed guilt. Zoey does not know who Carol is, and she never will."
