“Sophie still has nightmares,” he said.

“But she doesn’t hide under the bed anymore.”

“She stays in Lily’s room.”

He opened the car door but did not get in.

“We are selling the Aspen mansion,” he said.

“There are too many shadows there.”

“Where will you go?” I asked.

“A small ranch near Montana,” he said.

“No security details, no corporate events.”

“Just trees, a creek, and time.”

I handed him a folder containing the final liquidation documents for his remaining shares.

“The board approved the transition,” I said.

“The funds are secure in a trust for the girls.”

“Thank you, Elena,” he said.

He shook my hand. His grip was firm, but his face was softer than I had ever seen it.

“You kept your promise to Claire,” he said.

“I tried,” I said.

I watched him drive away, his car disappearing into the city traffic.

A few weeks later, I visited the new ranch in Montana.

The house was made of timber and stone, sitting at the base of a green mountain.

There was no security gate.

Only a wooden fence and a gravel driveway.