Marsh received a seven-year sentence in April. The proxy position was fully unwound. Marcus’s company closed its best quarter in four years. He did not celebrate. He stood in his study, reading the judgment and thought about twenty-plus years of deceit and a dog that had been used as a pawn.
On Titan’s fourth birthday, Marcus found Wren in the garden, the dog stretched full length beside her, head in her lap, asleep in the sun. The estate was full of people again —staff, guests, and sound—and Titan didn’t react to any of it.