[s7e23] Ashlee's Big Decision: Part 2 Page

The architect cleared his throat. "The developers need an answer by five. If you sign, the wire transfer hits your account tomorrow morning."

As she walked out of the clinic, the weight hadn't lifted, but for the first time in years, she knew exactly where she was going. The credits rolled on the image of Ashlee standing in front of the crumbling stone gates, a hammer already in her hand. [S7E23] Ashlee's Big Decision: Part 2

"You don't have to be the hero, Ash," Simon whispered as she sat down. "That money could pay for Mom’s care for the next decade. Gran would have understood." The architect cleared his throat

The fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway hummed at a frequency that seemed to vibrate right through Ashlee’s skull. In her hand, she clutched the manila folder—the "Part 2" to a decision that had kept her awake for forty-eight hours straight. The credits rolled on the image of Ashlee

"Ashlee? The specialist is ready for you," the nurse said, her voice soft but firm.

Ashlee stood, her knees feeling like they were made of water. In Part 1, it had been about the discovery: the sudden inheritance of her grandmother’s estate, paired with the devastating news that the historic library at its center was structurally unsound. She had two choices: sign the demolition papers to make way for a lucrative, life-changing condo development, or sink every penny of her own savings into a restoration project that had no guarantee of success.

Ashlee looked at the blueprints spread across the table. She remembered the smell of old parchment and the way the golden hour light used to hit the mahogany shelves where she’d learned to read. If she signed the papers, the history of her family—and the town—would be leveled by Monday.