Chapter 20: Crossroads
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The meeting with Dovid took place in a quiet coffee shop far from home. Dovid was older, steady, the kind of man who had clearly been burned before. “They’re not businessmen,” he said flatly. “They’re sharks. They pick good people, people with clean names. They use you to move their money, then they squeeze you until you break.”

Shaya leaned forward. “How did you get out?”

“Two things,” Dovid said. “Legal help and zero fear. The moment they see you’re not scared, they lose power. But you can’t bluff it. You have to have people backing you — real people who know what’s going on.”

Dovid scribbled a few names and instructions on a napkin. “You’re lucky you spoke up early. I waited too long. You have to cut them off now, before they use you for something worse.”

Shaya left feeling shaken but strangely stronger. It was terrifying to hear how deep this could go, but also comforting to know someone had survived it.

Later that day, Shaya sat with HHM again. This time the conversation was all about structure and honesty.
“No more hidden phone. It goes now,” HHM said firmly.
“It’s gone,” Shaya replied.
“No more late nights alone. You call me before bed if you feel weak. You send me updates twice a day. And you tell Leah enough so she sees real change, not just promises. Can you commit to that?”
Shaya swallowed hard. “Yes.”
HHM leaned in. “This isn’t just about avoiding mistakes. It’s about building a life where the urge to hide no longer makes sense. You fight the darkness by flooding it with light — truth, connection, accountability.”

Shaya walked out determined to follow everything. But that evening, as he drove home, his phone lit up with a new message: “We know who you met today. You’re making a mistake. Fix this, or we fix you.”

By the time Shaya pulled into his driveway, two men were waiting at the curb in a black car. They didn’t get out. They just watched as he walked to his door, their eyes cold, their meaning clear.

Inside, Leah was feeding the baby. She looked up and saw the fear in his face. “What now?” she whispered.

Shaya forced himself to breathe. He thought of Dovid’s calm warning. He thought of HHM’s voice telling him to flood the darkness with light. And for the first time, he realized he had a choice: keep running in circles or start walking straight, no matter how dangerous it looked.

אילו חזר עוד יוסף חי רק להחזיר עטרת הגראוץ' למקומה דיינו 
!This is what I'm ****ing talking about

"Victory comes when you put long-term goals above short-term urges."