Everything turned to chaos when Juliette opened her eyes. At first, she didn’t understand what was happening. Still, when her gaze focused on Robbin’s unconscious figure being carried away by a few police officers, Juliette could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She spat out the remaining capsule she had bitten when Robbin wasn’t looking and wiped off the fake blood on her lips from the capsule. Juliette exhaled softly and slowly sat up.
Her breath caught when she saw Aldrich’s body-surrounded by a pool of blood-being covered by a white cloth by one of the officers. Juliette quickly averted her eyes from the scene, knowing that if she continued to look, she might throw up her lunch, something she definitely didn’t want to happen. Footsteps approached, and she looked up. Her eyes met William’s dark gaze, and a relieved sigh escaped her lips as she saw a slight smile on his face.
“Good job, Juliette,” the man said, offering his hand to help her up.
“What happened, uncle?” Juliette asked, glancing briefly at Aldrich’s body.
William removed his coat and placed it over Juliette’s shoulders, shielding her from the cold wind blowing harshly against her exposed skin. He looked at Aldrich’s body, which was being carried away in a body bag, before answering Juliette’s question, “In short, when I fired a blank at you, Aldrich thought I intended to kill you-his boss’s beloved woman-but before he could shoot me, the police sniper shot Aldrich first.”
William paused before continuing, “I think, initially, they intended to incapacitate Aldrich, but changed their minds because he could have been very dangerous if left alive.”
“What do you mean, uncle?”
“I just learned something new.” William guided Juliette toward the mansion’s terrace, where Daisy stood waiting with a smile. Juliette was surprised to see Hannah standing next to her cousin. However, Juliette didn’t rush over to them as her legs still felt weak from the adrenaline pumping through her body, and its effects hadn’t worn off yet. She needed to be in a quieter place, away from the surrounding chaos.
Several police officers and mansion guards, all under William’s command, followed them from behind. “The reason Aldrich was so loyal to Robbin was because my nephew helped him avoid punishment for embezzlement charges.”
“Embezzlement?”
William nodded briefly. “I won’t go into detail, but if he had gone to prison and later been released, the secret information he knew from his time as an FBI agent could have been used for evil. Especially after he found out I was working with the police to catch Robbin and put him behind bars. Can you imagine what he might have done to free Robbin later? Perhaps that was the police and FBI’s consideration.”
“I see…” Juliette muttered softly. In truth, she didn’t agree with the authorities’ decision to kill Aldrich. Still, when she thought about it, her own life would have been at risk, as Aldrich might have targeted her to avenge Robbin. “What about Robbin?”
“The sedative you injected into him will have a two-hour effect. When he wakes up, Robbin will already be in prison. His case files are already on the police chief’s desk and are under investigation. Once completed, the files will be sent to the prosecution, and Robbin will be tried for the crimes he committed.”
“Thank goodness…” Juliette whispered in relief as she felt that prison was a fair punishment for Robbin. She knew that Robbin’s crimes deserved more than just imprisonment; the court and judge would determine the appropriate sentence. Besides, Juliette was sure that, someday, Robbin would regret everything he had done. If she ever thought about killing Robbin, it would make her no better than him.
Upon reaching the mansion’s terrace, Juliette was immediately embraced by the two women waiting for her. She could hear Daisy’s soft, soothing murmurs and Hannah’s relieved sobs. Juliette smiled faintly, her gaze drifting to the police car carrying Robbin as it drove away.
It’s over.
Finally, everything was over.
At first, Juliette thought her act would be discovered, and Robbin would take her away, but as the man had once told Juliette, “Only Juliette could be his weakness and the reason for his downfall.”
“Oh Julie, I was so afraid something terrible would happen to you, but thank goodness you’re safe now,” Hannah said, cupping Juliette’s face with one hand. Hearing this, Juliette’s smile widened.
“It’s all over now, isn’t it?”
Juliette replied, “Yes, finally, it’s all over.”
And Juliette was finally free from Robbin’s dangerous obsession.
.
.
.
Two weeks after Robbin’s capture, his trial for the crimes he committed took place. The entire De Lavigne family attended the trial. Robbin’s crimes became the biggest scandal in the family’s history, shaking the family’s reputation. The media continuously reported on Robbin’s actions, with the public dubbing him “the true devil in disguise.”
In court, solid evidence of Robbin’s crimes was presented to the jury, leaving the De Lavigne family’s legal team with little to defend. The most damning piece of evidence was a video recording of a conversation between Robbin and Juliette in his office at that time. Juliette had hidden a small camera in her blouse, making sure it was discreet. It could easily be mistaken for a button. The camera had captured Robbin’s confession of his crimes. Additionally, Juliette had kept the original death certificate of Anthony as further proof of Robbin’s wrongdoings.
With all the evidence laid out before the judge, prosecutor, and jury, Robbin was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment. Premeditated murder was classified as one of the most severe crimes, and Robbin had to pay for all his misdeeds behind bars.
Of course, Juliette didn’t attend the trial, as she didn’t want to reveal to Robbin that she was still alive. The act she had put on that night to make Robbin believe she was dead and William’s construction of a fake grave to show Robbin had worked. However, deep down, Juliette knew that faking her death was a flawed plan.
This became evident a few weeks after the trial.
On that day, a severe storm swept through New York. The heavy rain kept most people indoors, seeking shelter from the cold, including Juliette. She had been feeling increasingly anxious as her body seemed to be acting strangely. Juliette had been feeling nauseous and vomiting every morning, with her appetite growing and fatigue persisting. She set the clothes she had been packing into a large suitcase aside and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Her hazel eyes stared out the bedroom window, watching the rain drench the city. Tonight would be her last night at the De Lavigne mansion before moving to her mother’s home in Washington.
After learning from Daisy that Robbin had threatened and forced her mother to sign the contract, Juliette decided to contact her mother by letter, taking extreme caution in communicating while Robbin was still around.
Fortunately, Daisy had been willing to help, secretly sending Juliette’s letters to her mother. Now that everything was over, Juliette no longer had to communicate with her mother in secret. After a lengthy discussion with William the previous day, Juliette had decided to go to her mother’s house in Washington until the situation calmed down. Once the De Lavigne family scandal no longer dominated the media and public attention, Juliette planned to move to Paris and start a new life there.
While she was deep in thought about her plans, a knock on the door startled her. Juliette turned towards the door and stood up, walking over to open it. Her brows furrowed when she saw William standing at her door with a worried expression.
Now, William had temporarily taken Robbin’s place as the family head. He planned to relinquish the position and leave America with his family once the family had a meeting about who would permanently replace Robbin next month. If no agreement were reached, William would retain the position until Daisy had a child. Initially, Robbin’s descendants would have inherited the position. Still, since Robbin had neither married nor had children, those two options would determine the future of the De Lavigne family’s highest seat.
William had offered the position to Christian, but like William, Christian had no interest in it and refused. He chose not to return to New York in the near future. Christian would eventually return, as he had obligations as a doctor at one of the De Lavigne family’s hospitals. Still, for now, he preferred to stay in London with his parents.
“What is it, uncle?”
“I heard from the servants that you’re unwell. Why didn’t you ask Daisy to take you to the doctor?”
Juliette shook her head briefly, “I’m just feeling a bit off. Some medicine will help. Why did you come to see me?”
William sighed softly and motioned for Juliette to follow him. They walked together down the hallway and descended the stairs until they reached the main sitting room, where Daisy and Adalyn were already seated, waiting. Juliette was slightly surprised that none of the other De Lavigne family members were present. Still, she chose not to ask, as some of them believed Juliette was the cause of the family’s downfall, driving Robbin to tarnish the family’s name.
That was one of the reasons Juliette had decided to leave New York, aside from wanting to start fresh and forget what had happened.
“What’s going on, Will? Why
did you call us here?” Adalyn asked, her voice tinged with worry. In the past, Adalyn had considered Juliette a stranger. However, now she treated Juliette kindly, though Juliette could still sense the judgmental glances the woman occasionally cast her way.
William pursed his lips and stared at Juliette for a few moments before speaking, “I just received a call from the prison warden. It’s about Robbin.”
“What happened? What’s wrong with him?” Adalyn asked again.
William then explained what had happened, and Juliette, upon hearing the explanation, could only sit down weakly, her eyes welling with tears. William said that Robbin had fallen into severe depression, believing that Juliette was dead. Robbin had attempted suicide by repeatedly banging his head against the prison wall, resulting in serious injuries.
Fortunately, a correctional officer had been doing a routine inspection at the time and managed to stop Robbin. Now, Robbin was in the hospital, receiving intensive care. His head injury was severe enough to put him in a coma.
Juliette wanted to visit Robbin immediately, but she restrained herself. She couldn’t reveal herself to Robbin, even if he were unconscious. So, Juliette remained silent, praying for the best for Robbin.
A week after the incident, Robbin regained consciousness, but in a changed state. Juliette heard from Daisy that Robbin had lost his sanity and had become truly mad. He often had violent outbursts, constantly calling out Juliette’s name, leaving the medical staff overwhelmed. Due to Robbin’s deteriorating mental state, the court changed his sentence to 28 years in prison.
However, Robbin’s case was different, as he wasn’t confined to jail but placed in a particular isolation room in a psychiatric hospital.
Juliette breathed a sigh of relief when Daisy told her that Christian and the De Lavigne family’s medical team would be taking care of Robbin, with William overseeing his care. Even though Robbin had done terrible things in the past, there were still people who cared for him.
…