“Yes, you did,” I answered, turning to look toward the brick walls of the pediatric ward in the distance. “And no amount of regret will ever change that ledger. Our chapter ended the day you let a computer program decide whether our daughter lived or died.”
I turned my back on him and left him standing alone on the pavement where countless parents had walked before—some holding the hands of healthy children, others, like I once was, carrying invisible grief that time could never fully heal.
Epilogue: The Legacy of Vance Capital
A year had passed since the storm tore through the Fairchild empire. Vance Capital had grown into a powerhouse of ethical investing, dedicating half of its annual venture capital deployment to pediatric cardiology research, rare disease diagnostics, and a nationwide advocacy network ensuring that no parent’s medical emergency request could ever be silenced by automated corporate red tape.
I stood on the balcony of my penthouse office, watching the afternoon sun throw gold across Lake Michigan. On the shelf behind my desk sat Chloe’s white ceramic urn, flanked by a small glass vase of fresh yellow tulips—her favorite color.
