Marcus remains in prison.
The criminal companies were dismantled.
Billions were recovered.
Christopher redirected a large portion of his personal fortune into programs for spinal-cord research, witness protection assistance, and housing for struggling single parents.
One of those programs now funds emergency apartments for mothers facing eviction.
The first building opened on the South Side.
We named it Morgan House.
Not after me.
After Ryan.
And sometimes, late at night, when the children are asleep and Christopher is beside me, I think about that freezing apartment.
The leaking ceiling.
The watered-down soup.
Brandon shivering beneath a thin blanket.
Emma brushing the hair of her broken doll.
I remember walking into that café willing to take any job.
I believed desperation had pushed me into Bennett House.
For years, I hated remembering how powerless I felt that morning.
