12 Chapter 12
He dragged himself to the entrance, sobbing as he pounded, “Miss Barren, I understand everything now. It’s entirely my mistake. I misjudged Eleanor. I beg you, allow me to see her one final time.
Please …
His words continued to spill out, “The agony she must have experienced when the scalpel sliced into her, the torment she must have suffered …” A loud smack resounded from beyond the
door.
Alma looked at me with a mix of emotions, “Eleanor, you…”
“Sister, Eleanor is no longer with us,” I said resolutely. “The instant Gerald opted to rescue Joanne, Eleanor was gone.” From that point on, there was no connection between Gerald and myself.
Alma’s eyes welled up. “Dear sister, don’t dwell on the past, forge ahead bravely, I’ll be your protector.”
I gave a smile. This Christmas, I wouldn’t be spending it on my own. Gerald and Joanne received death sentences for premeditated murder, with a ninety–day stay of execution. The Riverton Family had initially intended to do everything possible to save Gerald.
However, while reviewing their finances, they discovered something shocking. The company’s funds had been transferred overseas by Joanne under various pretexts.
The account was in the name of Joanne’s partner. Her boyfriend was a gambling addict who had amassed substantial debts,
50%
12 Chapter 12
compelling her to return and deceive Gerald.
Upon learning the truth, Gerald suffered a mental breakdown and was immediately moved to a psychiatric facility.
It was reported that he would often call out someone’s name to thin air. He would tell everyone that he was on the verge of becoming a father.
Gerald didn’t survive his three–month grace period. In February, he used his fingernails to painfully tear open his abdomen. When the prison guards found him, he had already perished from excessive bleeding.
On the day Joanne’s death sentence was carried out, Alma and I were commemorating the baby’s first hundred days of life.
Vibrant fireworks burst in the sky above the estate, dispelling all the darkness from past and present.
I bowed my head and made a heartfelt wish, “For the journey ahead, may we continue to grow and thrive.”
(The End)
