Chapter 52
Emily’s POV
I opened my eyes slowly, the world around me spinning as I tried to piece together what had just happened. Frank stood there, his face contorted in shock, a dark red stain spreading across his shoulder. His hand was still gripping the gun, now hanging limply at his side. Blood seeped through his shirt, dripping onto the cold concrete floor.
Keith stood across from him, his stance rigid, the gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel. His face was a mask of fury, his eyes locked onto Frank with a deadly intensity that made the air in the room feel heavier.
“Drop the gun, Frank!” Keith’s voice cut through the tension, a mix of desperation and rage. His finger was still hovering near the trigger, his body trembling with adrenaline. The blaring sound of sirens echoed in the distance, growing louder as they closed in. The place was surrounded.
For a moment, Frank’s eyes darted toward me, and I saw something in them–something broken, like the calm mask he’d worn for so long had finally shattered.
His hand trembled as he looked back at Keith, then slowly, painfully, he let the gun slip from his grasp. It hit the ground with a metallic clatter, echoing through the room as if punctuating the end of everything.
Keith didn’t waste a second. In one fluid motion, he dropped his own gun
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to the floor and lunged forward, closing the space between us. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a tight, almost desperate embrace.
I could feel his body trembling against mine, his breath hot against my ear as he whispered, “I’ve got you, Emily. You’re safe now. It’s over.”
I didn’t know how to react. My mind was still reeling, trying to process everything that had just unfolded. Frank–the man I had loved, the man who had been my anchor–had betrayed me in ways I never imagined.
My body went limp in Keith’s arms, too exhausted to resist, too overwhelmed to think. I wanted to scream, to cry, but no sound came out. I just stood there, numb, as the chaos around me continued to unfold.
The doors burst open as a swarm of police officers rushed into the room, guns drawn, their voices loud and commanding. “Hands where we can see them!” one of the officers barked. Frank raised his hands slowly, his face pale and strained as they roughly pulled him away from me.
His gaze never left mine, not even as they forced his arms behind his back and cuffed him. There was no remorse in his eyes, only emptiness.
Frank didn’t say a word, didn’t struggle. He just let them take him, the man I had once trusted, now a stranger being marched away in handcuffs. I watched him until he disappeared around the corner, and even then, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the empty doorway.
The police turned their attention to me and Nina, paramedics rushing forward to assess our injuries. I barely registered their hands on me, checking my vitals, speaking in soft, reassuring tones.
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Nina was being attended to beside me, still pale but conscious. We exchanged a brief, dazed glance, both of us too shaken to say anything.
The murmur of voices and the distant wail of sirens filled the air, and I could hear the rapid clicking of cameras from reporters who had somehow already arrived.
As I stood there, dazed and disoriented, my family started to trickle in. I caught glimpses of familiar faces through the haze–Tyler and Seth. But the moment I saw Lily, something snapped inside me.
She was standing there, her expression a mixture of worry and shock, as if she had any right to be concerned after everything she had done. Anger surged through me like a tidal wave, crashing over the numbness that had kept me frozen.
“Get her out of here,” I muttered to Keith, my voice shaking with barely contained rage. “I don’t want to see her.”
Keith didn’t hesitate. He motioned to one of the officers, who approached Lily with a firm grip on her arm. “Ma’am, you need to leave,” the officer said, his tone polite but unyielding.
Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at me, but she didn’t resist. For once, she seemed to understand that her presence was not only unwelcome but unbearable. Without a word, she turned and was escorted out of the room, her figure disappearing through the crowd just as Frank.
had.
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As Lily was led away, my body sagged with exhaustion. The adrenaline. that had kept me upright was quickly fading, leaving me feeling hollow and drained. Keith still stood beside me, his arms hovering near as if unsure whether I wanted his touch or not.
A few moments later, Vincent, the lead detective, walked in with Frank, his hands still in cuffs. He placed Frank in a chair across from me, his face impassive, unreadable.
“Why?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Why did you do this to me, Frank?”
Frank’s gaze met mine, but there was no warmth in his eyes, no hint of the man I thought I knew. “It was never about you, Emily,” he replied coldly. “I wanted the company. Your grandparents‘ company.”
I stared at him, completely bewildered. “What company? My grandparents. didn’t leave me any inheritance.”
A faint smirk twisted Frank’s lips as he shook his head. “You really don’t know, do you?” His voice dripped with disdain. “You don’t even belong to the Donald family.”
My breath caught in my throat. “What are you talking about?”
Frank leaned back in his chair, his voice softening as he began to tell a story, one that felt like it came from another world.
“Once, there was a girl named Vera. She came from a middle–class family,
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nothing special. Both of her parents were devout Christians–her father a pastor, her mother a homemaker. They lived a modest life, strict in their beliefs. Vera was expected to follow the same path. But life had other plans for her. When she was just 13, she met a boy named Tom. He was wealthy, privileged, and completely enchanted by Vera. They fell in love quickly, recklessly. And by the time Vera turned 14, she was pregnant.”
I blinked, trying to follow the sudden turn in the conversation. “What does this have to do with me?”
Frank ignored my question, continuing his story with a bitterness that sent chills down my spine. “Vera’s parents were furious when they found out. They kicked her out, shunned her, wanted nothing to do with their ‘fallen‘ daughter. But Tom’s family, being the noble, wealthy people they were, took Vera in. They wanted to raise the child. But Vera’s parents weren’t done with her. They showed up at Tom’s family home, demanding acknowledgment of the relationship, demanding child support for their grandchild.”
He paused, his eyes flickering with something dark. “The situation escalated. There was a huge argument between the families. Vera was young, fragile, and the stress of it all led to complications during childbirth. She had a difficult labor, and the baby didn’t survive. Or at least, that’s what everyone thought.”
A lump formed in my throat, a sinking feeling creeping over me. “What do you mean?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Frank leaned in closer, his eyes dark, his voice low and chilling. “I’m Vera and Tom’s child, Emily,” he said, each word sharper than the last. “But you… you are the one who was never supposed to survive.”
