Chapter 4: A Father's Final Gift

Chapter 4: A Father's Final Gift
James removed a small envelope.
"Your father requested this letter be read only if you were publicly humiliated."
Emily frowned.
"My father knew?"
"He suspected."
With shaking hands she unfolded the letter.
My dearest Emily,
If you are hearing these words, then the man I feared has finally shown you who he truly is.
Love never demands humiliation.
Respect is never earned through cruelty.
If Preston ever asks you to kneel, stand—and walk away.
Everything I built was never meant to make you rich.
May you like
It was meant to make you free.
Tears rolled silently down Emily's cheeks.