Chapter 96: An Underlying Secret The family sat around the dining table, feasting on their mashed potatoes with gravy. Ken and Kendell munched on their food as if they were having a fight with it, while Rose and Derek ate silently. Rose would glare at Derek at any opportunity that presented itself, and Derek would look away immediately. It seemed he was trying to get on Rose’s good side, because if it was turned around, he would glare and curse at her also.“Mom, this has got to be the most delicious meal I have eaten in a long while,” Kendell said, taking another spoonful of food and forcing a smile, her mouth so full of food she could hardly smile. “I really need your recipe, Mom. When I grow up and get married, I want to prepare sumptuous meals for my family too.” She added, taking another spoonful of food after finishing the one in her mouth.“Yes, Mom, Kendell is right,” Ken said mockingly. “She needs to learn how to cook, because the only thing she knows how to do for now is
Chapter 97: The Price for Betrayal“Dad, we need ice cream. Let’s go get ice cream from the ice cream stand,” Kendell pulled Derek’s hands, and Derek smiled. He turned to her and bent to her level. “But we are not done playing this game, honey. Your brother is still trying to win a toy.” Derek turned to Ken. “Oh, yes, Dad, you are right,” Kendell smiled. “By the way, Dad, this park is really big and filled with lots of fun activities to do.” She smiled and snuggled Derek.“Yes, honey, you know when I was a little boy, my parents always brought me to this park to play, and it’s really surprising that it remained the same till date,” Derek explained, and Kendell’s eyes widened. “Wait! So you mean when you were little, this park existed?” Kendell threw in shock, and Derek nodded. “Surprising, right?” Derek said, and Kendell nodded, her face still plastered in shock.“This park has existed for a very, very long time. According to my father, it existed even before I was born,” Derek exp
Chapter 98: Are you inlove?Rose glared at the nylon she took from Derek’s wardrobe. She was uncertain of what was in it, but this was the right time to find out. She shifted uncomfortably on her bed and took in a deep gasp before tearing the nylon open. As she anticipated what was in the nylon, her heartbeat increased.Tearing the nylon, her eyes fell on some drugs and a note. She flickered her eyes for a while as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. “Drugs?” Derek didn’t look sick, so why was he taking so many drugs? She looked at the drugs staring right back at her.“And what is this note?” she picked up the note resting on her lap and had a quick glance at it. “Hmm!” She opened the folded paper and ran her eyes through the note written in it. “Nobody needs to know, nobody needs to know,” the short note read.“Nobody needs to know?” Rose repeated, growing confused. “What does he mean by ‘nobody needs to know’? And what doesn’t he want no one to know about?” Rose search
Chapter 99: A Threat for You“But that isn’t all, Sofia,” Rose suddenly remembered the drugs and the note.“It isn’t all? What else happened, Rose? What else did you discover?” Sofia questioned, her tone baptized with desperation.Rose, not wanting to beat around the bush, hit the nail on the head: “I found strange drugs and a note also.”“I found a bunch of drugs without names, and I also found a note that reads, ‘Nobody needs to know,’” Rose revealed, and her mouth vibrated as she did.“You found strange drugs and a note saying, ‘nobody needs to know,’ in his room?” Sofia repeated in astonishment, and Rose nodded.“Yes, girl, you are surprised, right? I am way more surprised than you are, and I am not even kidding about it,” Rose confessed.“I really wonder what such drugs are doing in this room, and the most alarming part is that the drugs had no name, and you know what it usually means for a drug to have no name,” Rose let out her confusion.“Of course, I know that better than an
Chapter 100: Stocked Rose had a worried look on her face as she dialed Sofia’s number for the second time. She paced back and forth in front of her car. “What the hell is wrong with her? We agreed to meet at the church by 12:00 p.m., so why isn’t she here and why isn’t she answering her calls?” Rose hissed, already pissed. She redialed Sofia’s number again as it finished ringing without her picking up. “Or is she in any form of…” she couldn’t finish her thought when Sofia’s voice came through from the other end. “Hello, Rose. I am so sorry I wasn’t picking your calls, but look behind you, I am here already,” Sofia said before Rose could reply. Still angry, she looked behind her and that was when she sighted Sofia walking towards her. She ended the call and focused her attention on Sofia. She watched as Sofia walked towards her with calculated steps, her frown deepening. “Why did you keep me waiting?” she threw as soon as Sofia was close enough. “I am so sorry, Rose. I got stuck
Chapter 101: No Cottage “He needs urgent help, or else he might do worse things. Living with people suffering from multiple personality disorders is really risky, as they are a threat to us,” the doctor explained, and Rose could only nod. But a question remained in her heart: “What would she do next? Taking vengeance on Derek is like taking vengeance on an innocent man.”It ”as obvious now that Derek didn’t push her into the ocean to die, but rather the multiple personality disorder were responsible. But she could only wonder, “Does it mean that all the while he changed and started treating her like a piece of trash, all the time he was mean to her, was it a result of his mental illness also?”She was trapped with no idea of where to turn to next. She couldn’t continue her vengeance, neither could she back out. What could she do next?“Ma’am, are you listening to me?” the doctor’s slight scream brought her back to reality, and she stared at him like a fool.“It seems you are lost,
Chapter 102: The Next Step“We are finally here,” Sofia said as they came to the end of the bushes where the cottage was supposed to be.“Ouch… Fin…” Rose’s voice trailed off when their eyes met a burnt-down cottage with no one in sight.“What?” they both stuttered in disbelief, unable to believe their eyes. “Are you sure that this is where you left her, because come on, what the hell happened?” Rose stuttered, still surprised.“If this is where I left them? Of course, I left them here. Come on, I was here last week, so there’s no way I would forget where I left them,” Sofia replied, tension already building in her.“Gosh! Then this is bad, because this only means one thing,” Rose declared, her face etched with worry.“I don’t want to believe what you are saying, Rose,” Sofia stuttered, already knowing where she was heading. “We need to confirm things, Rose,” she said, walking closer to the burnt-down cottage, and Rose joined her.It was when they went to the cottage that they notice
Chapter 103: Public Attention As Rose drove to her kids’ school to pick them up, she couldn’t stop thinking about Sofia’s words: “We need to find Michael.” Sofia’s words rang in her ears, and she took a deep breath.She went on to remember the other words Sofia said: “We are starting our search tomorrow; we would go back to Maureen and get any useful information we can get about how to find Michael.”“Yes, Sofia, you are right; we can only find out the truth when we find Michael, and we need to do that ASAP before things get funny,” she mumbled to herself as she pulled in front of her kids’ school.She drove further into the school and parked her car in the parking lot. After parking her car, she picked up her bag and phone and walked down from her car. As she walked down, she took a deep breath before walking into the school.Inside the school, she walked to her children’s class, where she met them arranging their books in their bags. “Mom!” Her kids exclaimed on sighting her and
Chapter 120: A Warm Embrace Dave had a sneer-smile on his face as he watched Sofia and the policeman walk out of the station. Everything was already plotted out; he was going to escape, dead or alive. He wasn’t done with his vengeance yet, so they had no right to lock him up. He knew deep down that he must complete what he came to do before he could have the peace he needed. Everything was already plotted out, and his escape plan would kick off now.“Does those two bastards think that I will let them have a great life after everything they have done to me?” He fisted his hands and turned to Anna, who was locked in the same cell with him. Anna gave him a mocking glare before replying, “And what possible can you do in this state?” She rolled her eyes as she spoke, and Dave could feel the mockery in her tone. “Are you downgrading me right now? Do you think I can’t do it?” He glared at her, his eyes burning with rage, but Anna didn’t care about the amount of rage in his eyes; she pre
Chapter 119: WorriesKendell let out a bright smile and turned to Derek. “You too, Dad,” she smiled, and Derek knelt down immediately. As the family knelt down, about to dive into prayers, the door to the hospital ward pulled open, revealing the doctor. They all looked at him, and the look on his face was enough to inform them that he had news.“Doctor, any news?” Rose stood up for the first and rushed to him, along with the rest of the family. As their eyes stayed on the doctor’s downcast eyes, they knew something was wrong.“What is it, Doctor? Can you just say what you came in here to tell us?” Rose interrupted again, and the doctor stared blankly at her for a while. He took his eyes off her, took a deep breath, and prepared to deliver the news. They all watched as he cleared his throat, as if his words were obstructed, before he dropped the bombshell: “We couldn’t find any matching kidney. I am sorry,” he announced.Rose grabbed his shirt. “What did you just say?” she stuttered,
Chapter 118: Let’s Pray“Doctor, I have checked the organ retrieval suite,” the nurse said with a bow, and everyone’s ears itched to hear his next words, as they were the main point.“I checked the organ retrieval suite, but I couldn’t find any kidney that matches his,” the nurse broke the sad news and the room went wild. “What are we supposed to do now?” Rose stammered, already losing it. “Is there no other option?” Derek fired, his eyes filled with disappointment. “What will become of my brother? I hope he’s not going to die?” Kendell wept, everything was too much for her tiny brain to handle.“What needs to be done, Doctor?” Rose stood up from her seat in a flash. “What needs to be done to save my son?” She moved to the doctor faster than anyone could say “no” and grabbed him by the collar. The astonished man managed to pull her hands off his collar, and when he successfully did, after much trial, he took in a deep breath.“What the hell can be done? Please,” Rose fell to the f
Chapter 117: A Sad NewsThey watched as the doctor gave another sad nod before deciding to spill the most anticipated news.“I am sorry to inform you, but your son couldn’t make it. He was…” The doctor couldn’t complete his statement when a nurse yelled from inside the ward, calling his attention.“Doctor! Doctor!! He’s moving,” the nurse yelled, and he rushed into the ward, shutting the door behind him before Rose could gain access. She was ready to follow him into the ward.“What is really happening?” she mumbled in fear, pacing back and forth in front of her son’s ward. As she paced, something remained in her mind: “Was the doctor trying to tell them they lost their son earlier on?" she reasoned, and as she did, her heartbeat increased; everything was playing too fast.“Please, I think you need to calm down, Rose. I am sure everything will fall into place,” she heard behind her, and turning around, her eyes fell on Derek, whose face was also filled with worry.“I am scared, Derek;
Chapter 116: Hug me More“You haven’t even discovered the most shocking truth, and you are already all over it,” Kendall intruded again, and Rose could feel herself almost going nuts.“What is in for her again?” she wondered.“Mom, do you know that Dad and Uncle Dave are brothers?” Kendell spilled the beans, which recklessly threw Rose off balance.“Wh…at are you saying?” Rose stuttered, breaking the silence that was already revolving around them like a solid rock.“You heard me clearly, Mom – Dad and Uncle Dave are brothers, but according to Dad, he thought Uncle Dave had died a long while ago,” Kendell added, and Rose could feel her head exploding from discovering so many secrets at once.“How…? How are they brothers? They…” Rose stuttered weakly; everything was just too much to process.“I think you have said enough,” Derek snatched the phone from Kendell, realizing all the secrets Kendell was spilling was too much for Rose to handle.“Your mom is currently at the hospital, so I do
Chapter 115: Messed UpThe kids rushed to their father, who hugged them tightly and didn’t stop pecking them. “I am so glad that you two are safe,” Derek said happily.“I am so glad…” Ken tried to speak, but he couldn’t complete his statement. He fell short of breath and started coughing like he was fighting for his life.“Ken!” Kendell and Derek yelled out his name. Derek held him and tried to find out what was going on. A few officers surrounded them, while the rest focused on Dave and Anna.Derek watched helplessly as his son took a deep breath and collapsed in his arms. “Ken!” he shouted, and shook him, but there was no response.“Dad, please let’s take him to the hospital, we need to take him to the hospital,” Kendell stammered, already in tears. She shook like a leaf as she spoke. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her brother.“Quick! Open the door to the back car,” Derek shouted, and one of the officers did as he said. Without waiting another second, he rushed to the open
Chapter 114: Thrown in AweBut now everything was becoming clear to him; now he knew the reason his father didn’t include Daniel (Dave) in his will; now he knew the secret his gran”father was trying to hide from him when he asked him why Daniel wasn’t included in the will. “And that isn’t all, Derek; do you want to discover the most shocking truth?” Dave laughed out loud, and Derek was forced to stare at him in anticipation of his next words. “I killed your miserable father, Derek,” Dave confessed with hilarious laughter; he had no remorse in his eyes as he said this. “I killed him when I discovered my name wasn’t in his will. How could he be so mean as not to include my name in his will?” He laughed again. Derek watched as his brother spilled more secrets, but he just couldn’t bring himself to believe that his brother had actually killed his father. “How the heck are you responsible for Father’s death, you asshole?” he stuttered and watched as his brother released an evil laughte
Chapter 113: Revelation “We are surrounded by police officers, Dave,” Anna stuttered in panic, she was the first to witness the incident playing around them. “Police?” Dave mumbled, and looked behind him, and that was when he noticed the police officers surrounding them. The kids, on the other hand, jubilated, jumping up and down and screaming to alert the police officers that they were still stuck in the car.“Can you two shut the fuck up, or I will put a bullet through your tiny brains?” Dave yelled at them. He was already swimming in confusion; he was looking for a way to escape the police, and this was making matters worse.“But how the heck did they discover our location? Did you make any calls? Or anything at all?” Anna said in panic, and that was when he remembered that he called his brother Derek.“That asshole!” he yelled and hit the steering wheel of his car. “That idiot betrayed me again,” he lamented.“That idiot? Who exactly are you referring to? So you actually calle
Chapter 112: Stay Back“The buyer just called,” Anna said, taking her phone away from her ears. She gave Derek a nod, indicating it was time to leave.“Okay, where is he? Is he around here, or are we taking the kids to him?” Derek questioned, already untying them.“He said he’s by the roadside, so definitely, when we drive out, we will see him,” Anna replied, helping to untie Ken while Derek continued untying Kendell, who was already begging now.“Uncle Dave, please don’t sell us. I’m sorry for being rude to you; please have mercy and don’t sell us away. If you do, it’s going to break my mom’s heart,” she pleaded, tears already falling from her innocent eyes.By this time, Ken was already awake and hearing his sister’s words; his heart flew into high speed. “Sell us? He wants to sell us?” He turned to his sister, panting, and his ears itched for a response. He watched as his sister nodded positively before responding.“Yes, Ken, this wicked man wants to sell us,” he watched as his sis