Chapter 24
Melody was never the kind of person willing to throw her life away over a crime. Yet, in that moment, terror crashed over her like a tidal wave.
Her grip on the knife wavered, and only one thought filled her mind.
Alex and the others had called the police. They actually did it.
At that point, Melody knew she wasn’t going to make it out alive. But she didn’t want to die.
Panic clouded her thoughts, making it impossible to think straight. She instinctively clenched the knife tighter, as if it were the only thing she could rely on. Then, she curled in on herself. Her mind raced for a way out. Suddenly, her gaze locked onto Gabriella’s. She was trying to hide it, but the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.
And in that instant, a maddening thought took root. If Melody was going down, she’d take them all with her.
Lucas‘ cries continued to fill the air, but they no longer bothered her. She simply tightened her grip on him before looking up at them.
“I know you called the police. So, I’ve changed my mind. All of you, get on the boat. Once we reach a safe place, I’ll go my own way.”
Maybe it was the relief of finally making a decision, but for the first time, her thoughts had never felt clearer.
The trio hesitated upon hearing that. A moment later, Alex stepped forward first, with Gabriella and Stephen close behind.
Gabriella was sandwiched between the two men. As she studied Melody–hiding behind Lucas as much as she could–an uneasy feeling crept up her spine.
The closer they got, the stronger it became. By the time they reached the edge of the dock, the dread was unbearable.
Out of nowhere, Gabriella grabbed Stephen’s sleeve tightly. “I don’t think she plans on leaving,” she stated, her voice barely above a whisper.
Before her words could fully settle, Alex had already stepped onto the boat.
In a flash, Melody lunged at him without warning.
A sickening sound sliced through the air as the knife plunged into Alex’s throat. And almost immediately, a gunshot rang out.
Gabriella’s head snapped toward the sound. Before she could see anything, a hand clamped over her eyes.
“Don’t look…” Stephen muttered in a trembling voice.
Three splashes followed in quick succession. Then, Lucas‘ cries stopped abruptly.
Moments later, police officers and rescue teams surged forward from their hiding spots. More splashes echoed as divers plunged into the water.
When Gabriella pulled Stephen’s hand down forcefully, all that remained on the small wooden boat was a pool of fresh blood. The only other figures in sight were the rescue team, lifelines keeping them anchored to the surface as they searched for the three bodies that had just vanished into the water.
“Lucas… He-”
Gabriella couldn’t finish her sentence as a sharp pain seized her chest. In the next second, her vision blurred, and her body went limp. “Gabby!”
Stephen’s panicked voice was the last thing she heard before everything went dark.
their
When Gabriella regained consciousness, two days had passed.
The sharp scent of antiseptic filled her nose, momentarily disorienting her. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had set foot in a hospital. She curled her fingers slightly. Almost instantly, Stephen, who had been keeping watch by her bedside, jolted awake.
Meanwhile, the television mounted on the wall played the latest news.
The Leadline flashed in bold letters. “Palmer Group’s CEO and Son Killed in Attack by Former Adopted Daughter.”
At the sound of the broadcast, Stephen turned toward the screen and hurriedly changed the channel. But every station was covering the same story. Frustrated, he shut it off entirely. He couldn’t help but blame himself for not turning it off sooner.
“It’s not your fault,” Gabriella murmured while shaking her head.
In fact, none of this had anything to do with him.
Melody’s hatred stemmed from Alex and Lucas themselves. And now, they were simply paying the price. There was no one else to blame for what had happened After a long silence, Gabriella lifted her head.
ཇ ག ཇ ཟ འ ག ཥཾ ༔ ཇ ཋ
“I want to see them one last time,” she said weakly.
The dead were gone, and the living had to move on. From this moment forward, bygones would be bygones.
Unfortunately, Gabriella never got the chance to see them one last time.
Theodore stopped her outside the funeral home. His face was etched with exhaustion as he waved her and Stephen away.
“Go home. All of you. Just leave.”
No parent should have had to bury their child. And yet, here he was.
At that point, Theodore wasn’t even sure who to blame.
The tangled resentments that had claimed hits grandson’s and great–grandchild’s lives? Or himself? It seemed like his old–fashioned ways had led to this tragedy.
As the night stretched on, fireworks burst over the city in dazzling blooms.
But for them, this New Year was no cause for celebration.
