FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After deep reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step down from my position as President of Montgomery Clifford & Co.
Over the years, I’ve dedicated my life to building this company and leading a team that has accomplished extraordinary things. I am immensely proud of what we’ve created together.
Recent personal events have reminded me of what truly matters. My children, and the family I’ve built. I take full responsibility for the choices that have led us here, and I believethe right thing to do is to step back and focus entirely on healing and protecting those I love.
Effective immediately, I will be resigning from my role and taking time away from the public sphere. My commitment to this company, its people, and its legacy remains unwavering.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey.
Colin Montgomery
I read it once more before handing it to Hannah.
It was measured, clean enough to pass a legal review. But underneath the neat paragraphs, only I knew what it really meant.
This was what stepping away from power actually looked like. And for someone who had always thrived on control, it felt like losing the last thing I had left.
Chapter 22
“Every star can be a guide.”
Cecily
“Mom!”
Ethan’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts just in time to catch his reflection in the window as he walks into the kitchen.
“A delivery guy stopped by and left this box for you,” he says, the smile evident in his tone.
I turn just as he sets a gift box down on the island.
“Ethan! You and Alicia didn’t have to get me anything else!” I say, smiling.
They’d already surprised me earlier this morning, making it the best start to a day I’ve had in a long time.
“Mom?”
I hear Alicia’s soft voice from the bedroom. I quickly dry my mouth with a towel and step out of the bathroom.
The moment I walk through the doorway, I see Ethan holding a plate full of cupcakes. The one in the center is topped with a single candle. A smile finds my lips, and my eyes sting as tears begin to form.
As soon as I look up, they both start singing. “Happy birthday...”
When it’s time to say my name, they switch to ‘The best mom in the whole world’ just like they do every year. And, just like every year, I laugh through it.
I walk toward them, blinking away the tears. When they finish singing, I blow out the candle and make my wish… for their happiness, for their lives to always be blessed.
I open my eyes, take the plate from Ethan’s hands, and set it on the small desk near the window. Then I pull them both into my arms, holding on for a long moment.
When I finally pull back, I kiss each of them and whisper my thanks.
I’m still smiling when Alicia reaches out and hands me a small box. I open it. Inside is a bracelet with three tiny charms. I lift it to eye level, studying every detail.
“The ballet shoes are for me, obviously,” she says. “The pencil’s for Ethan, because he loves to draw... and the typewriter’s for you, Mom. Because, well... you love to write.”
The tears fall before I can stop them.
