CHAPTER 77
ROBERT’S POV
~ My mum stormed toward my father, her voice cold and venomous. “Julian, call the chief of police and gather some of your men. We’ll return the favour and kill this bitch’s family so she too can feel the pain we’ve been enduring all these years.” ~
My father gave a firm nod, like a soldier dutifully following his commander’s orders. Without hesitation, he called for one of the servants to bring him his phone.
“No…” Carina yelped out in shock and panic, squirming against her restraints. “You can’t do that! I’ll take full responsibility for my actions and accept whatever punishment you have for me, but please don’t involve my family in this. Please… y-you can’t do this. You can kill any of my family members…”
“Too late, dear. We’re already doing it,” my mum replied with a chillingly sadistic glare, her tone nonchalant.
Carina looked at me with eyes that were large and liquid as if pleading for my intervention. I found it hard to believe that she could still look to me for help even after I had treated her harshly and acted all feral like an uncontrollable beast towards her.
The servant rushed in, clutching my father’s phone in his hand. Before he could hand it over, I swiftly snatched it and sent him away with a wave.
For doing that, my father’s gaze turned icy and menacing as he let out his hand. “Give me the phone, young man. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
I took a steadying breath and faced them head-on. “I don’t know what has gotten into you two, but I need you to remember that this is not who you are. You taught me to be better than this-better than vengeance. What about the values, morals, and principles you instilled in us while growing up? If you go through with this, then you’re no different from all the hypocrites and murderers out there.”
That stunned them for a moment, softening their heart and expressions because they no longer looked like the raging psychopaths who were out for blood just seconds ago.
“She’s taken full responsibility for her actions and has agreed to serve a jail term. So please, if you still love me and consider me your child, don’t go through with this. Don’t send your men to kill anyone’s family.”
“Fine,” my father breathed out reluctantly after taking a moment to think it through. “It’s only because of you.” He shot me a glare and snatched back his phone from my hand.
“Thank you,” Carina muttered in a voice barely above a whisper.
But I looked away, refusing to acknowledge her. I hadn’t forgiven her for what she did, but I didn’t want to be someone who held onto grudges. I hoped that one day I’d find the grace to forgive her. Still, I knew that day was a long way ahead. The only reason I intervened was because it was the right thing to do. No one should have to suffer for someone else’s sins and mistakes.
“Since we can’t kill her or her family members at least we can kill Scarlett,” my mum said with cold determination in her voice. “After all, she instigated all this and carried it out without a second thought. So we too shouldn’t think twice about killing her.”
“We can’t mum…”
“Why?” Her brows pulled in sharply in annoyance.
Before I could answer, she snatched the words from me.
“Listen Robert. I know you’re good and doing your best to hold onto the values and principles your father and I taught you. But you’re not the Messiah. You have to understand that you can’t save everyone. Not everyone needs saving. There are times when bad people just have to face the worst possible punishments so they can learn their lessons. Times such as this one.”
“It’s not that…” A frown deepened the lines on my face as I tried to say but she won’t let me.
“Then what is it? Don’t tell me you’re still in love with her after everything she’s done…”
“I’m not in love with her!” I interjected with an outburst and a chilling silence followed thereafter.
Rubbing the top of my brows to ease the growing tension, I exhaled loudly and said, “You can’t kill Scarlett because she’s dead already.”
“Oh my goodness…” Ginny instinctively brought her hands over her mouth to stop a gasp from escaping, her eyes widening in shock.
Martin, who had been silent and withdrawn all this time, suddenly stood up from the sofa. “Wait… you killed her?” He asked, his brows furrowing.
“No…” I grimaced. “What do you take me for?” Though I had initially thought of that because it seemed like the only way she could pay for what she did but I wasn’t myself at that time. I was blinded by a kind of rage I had never felt before and was nearly consumed by it.
“Then how did it happen?” Martin asked eagerly. “Who killed her?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I’m just as clueless and confused as you are. All I heard from Raphael was that she overdosed on pills and insecticide last night. He’s making arrangements for her funeral.”
“Wow,” my mum commented in amusement, seeming like she was enjoying this. “So she killed herself. That serves her right. Right from the moment I learnt about her infidelity, I knew she was mentally unstable.”
“Poor Jake, I can’t imagine how he’ll be feeling now,” Ginny said with a sympathetic sigh.
“Raphael said he doesn’t know about her death. He hadn’t told him yet for fear of what might happen. I’ll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning to pick him up…”
“You’ll do what…?” My mum interrupted sharply, nailing me with a glare as if I’d just dared to pull a strand of hair from her head.
I expected her resistance. Ever since she found out Jake wasn’t our flesh and blood, she’d hated him and didn’t want to have anything to do with him. But I wasn’t discouraged. In a difficult time like this, Raphael and that little boy needed my help and I won’t hesitate to render it.
“I’ll be heading out tomorrow to pick up Jake and bring him here. He’ll stay with us for a few days while Raphael sorts things out and decides the best time to tell him about his mother’s death,” I said firmly.
“You’ll do no such thing, Robert,” my mum snapped coldly. “What happened is their own cup of tea, not yours. You have no business whatsoever helping them out. She was lucky. If she hadn’t killed herself, she would have died a brutal death by my hands. She got the tragic end she deserved. That kid is not yours. Stay out of this and let his father handle whatever there is to handle.”
“I’m bringing that kid here, and that’s final,” I insisted. “If you don’t consent to it, then I’ll move out. I’ll buy a new house where Jake and I can stay together, and you’ll never see me again.”
She scoffed in disbelief, staring at me like I was an unruly child.
“Julian,” she turned her attention to my father, seeking support. “Are you just going to stand there and not say anything?”
But my father raised his hands in surrender, avoiding her gaze. That only made her feel worse as she huffed like a frustrated teenager and slumped down to sit at the edge of the sofa, looking away with a defiant frown on her face.
“But wait…” Martin called our attention as if realizing something. “What if this is another one of her schemes to fool us? Robert, did you perhaps see her body after Raphael told you she was dead?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“What if you’re wrong about her death? What if she discovered you uncovered the truth and faked her death with Raphael’s help to escape what’s coming for her? What if she’s already left the country or is doing so right now?”
“Interesting theory,” my father commented before fixing his sharp gaze on me. “What do you have to say about this, Robert? If she’s still alive, then we must do the needful and take action immediately. And as for Raphael, he’ll face the consequences for aiding a murderer.”
I let out a sigh as I stared at their faces, their unwavering gazes all intent on me. I knew the direction Martin was heading with his critical thinking, but it wasn’t plausible. I had thought the same thing, but after I heard Raphael speak while we were on the phone, I knew for sure Scarlett was dead. He sounded so miserable I could feel it from my end.
He didn’t know about my grandpa’s death or the circumstances surrounding it. Even if he did, he was a man of integrity-the last person who would aid a murderer in escaping justice. And it would be cruel of me to ask him to send Scarlett’s dead body as proof she was truly dead. For him to sound so miserable and desperate, to ask for my help, and to agree to let me take Jake-the son he would want to spend every second of his life with to make up for the lost years-just so Jake could stay with us, it meant Scarlett was truly dead. Still, I’ll uncover more when I get there tomorrow.
“Scarlett is truly dead,” I said lowly with a solemn expression. “Raphael will never lie to me over something this serious.”
“But you barely know him,” my mum countered, her tone laced with doubt.
“I’ve known him long enough to know he won’t do something like that,” I replied firmly.
“Have you ever considered the possibility that he and Scarlett are planning to elope while leaving their son here for you to raise?” she asked, her gaze narrowing sharply.
Her words caught me unawares, making my breath hitch a little too painfully. I had never considered that possibility, but there was no way it could be true, so I forced my mind away from it.
“Mum, please don’t make this any harder thinking that way. That can’t be true but I’ll do my best to uncover more when I get there tomorrow.”
“I just hope you’re right because I don’t want you ending up as a pawn in someone else’s scheme,” she said, not sounding fully convinced or comfortable with this.
“I won’t,” I reassured her.
The room fell into an uneasy silence as everyone took their seats, lost in thought as if processing everything that had unfolded. I couldn’t believe we had spent hours talking about this. Amidst the quietness, I realized this was my chance to finally say what I wanted to say since the beginning but was always distracted or interrupted by one of them. Steeling myself, I cleared my throat and stood.
“All these stems down to one thing. We wronged Lily. We treated her like scum and took everything from including her freedom, thinking she was responsible for sabotaging my company and grandpa’s murder. But now that we know the truth, we have to do what’s right. That’s why I’m pleading with you all to help me find her wherever she is. We owe her a mountain of apology for wrongfully accusing her of murder and taking seven years of her life from her. Not to mention we have kids together now. She’s the mother of my children. I want her back so we can have a proper marriage and live together as a family.”