The words hung in the air like poison, and Flora’s breath caught in her throat. “What?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The room fell silent, the weight of Alice’s words crashing into Flora like a wave. Her breath caught in her throat, and her hand gripped Damien’s so tightly it was as if she were holding onto a lifeline. Alice’s face remained impassive, but there was a flicker of something dark in her eyes. “It stopped me in my tracks,” she said. “I didn’t respond right away. I just left. I thought she was messing with me. But the thought stayed with me, haunted me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if Vera wasn’t there anymore?The idea of being rid of Vera, of finally having Edgar to myself… I couldn’t shake it. I started imagining what it would be like—to be the woman Edgar showed off in public, instead of the one he hid away.” Flora felt bile rise in her throat. How had Alice been so cruel? So greedy? How had she allowed herself to evThe tears that Flora had been holding back finally spilled over, and she shook with the weight of her grief. She could barely breathe, barely think past the anguish that filled her heart. Her mother had died believing that her husband had loved her, but all the while, he had been running to Alice, crying on her shoulder, seeking solace in the arms of the woman who had helped destroy her.Damien squeezed Flora’s hand, but even his presence, solid and comforting as it was, couldn’t dull the pain that had taken root in her chest.“She didn’t deserve this,” Flora choked out, her voice breaking with the weight of her sorrow. “My mother didn’t deserve this.”Alice said nothing, her expression unreadable as she stared at the table. But Flora didn’t need her to say anything. Her mother was gone, and nothing could change that. But as she sat there, holding Damien’s hand, Flora made a silent promise to herself. She would make sure that her mother’s death was not in vain. Ali
Flora’s eyes darted up, locking onto Alice’s, her heart skipping a beat. The image was vivid in her mind—Janice, smug and calculating, sitting comfortably in the very heart of their home. The same woman who had stolen her mother’s life.“She was smiling at me,” Alice continued, her voice low. “Just like the first day I met her. And Edgar… he was sitting there, staring at me. I looked into his eyes, and I knew. I knew he had found out.”Flora’s breath hitched in her throat. Damien fished out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her trail of tears, the soft material pressing gently against her cheeks. It was comforting, but it couldn’t dull the pain that pierced her heart. “Edgar confronted me,” Alice said, her voice shaking. “His voice was low, seething, and he asked me if it was true—if I had killed Vera. And I denied it. I lied right to his face.” Alice took a deep breath. “But then Janice played a recording,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “It was a cli
Every word hung between them like a blade. Flora’s mind was swirling with the weight of Alice’s revelations, the magnitude of her deceit. Each new confession chipped away at whatever was left of Flora’s composure, leaving her barely hanging on. Damien sat beside her, his silence speaking volumes as he tried to process everything alongside her. But when his voice finally broke the stillness, it was soft, almost hesitant.“What did you do when Edgar started sleeping with Janice?” Damien asked, his eyes flicking from Flora to Alice, his tone careful.Alice shifted in her seat, her face unreadable as she met Damien’s gaze. “I could do nothing,” she said with a resigned shrug. Her voice was unnervingly calm, as if she’d accepted long ago that she’d lost control. “It was easier for him to hate me, to channel all of his anger into keeping me at arm’s length. But I never could figure out how he managed to bury that anger just long enough to sleep with her.”Flora’s breath caught
The confession hit Flora like a punch to the gut, the impact reverberating through her entire being. Damien’s hand tightened around hers, his thumb brushing her knuckles in a silent gesture of comfort, but it wasn’t enough to stop the surge of pain that flooded through her. Her father’s accident—she had caused it. Alice had done this. Flora’s vision blurred with unshed tears, her body trembling as she struggled to comprehend the magnitude of Alice’s betrayal. Her mind raced back to that fateful day, the phone call that had left her numb. Now, standing in the same room as the woman responsible for it, the woman who had played puppet master in her family’s destruction, Flora felt a cold rage bubbling up inside her. “How?” Flora’s voice cracked as the question escaped her lips. She needed to know. She needed to hear Alice say it, to understand how she had been capable of something so monstrous. Alice’s gaze remained steady,
“That doesn’t make it better!” Flora’s voice broke, trembling with the intensity of her pain. Her chest heaved with the effort of keeping herself together, her emotions teetering on the edge of breaking free. “You wanted him to hurt, and now you've taken him from me!” Damien’s grip tightened on her hand. Alice’s lips parted, as if she wanted to argue, to defend herself. But no words came. There was nothing she could say. She had orchestrated the death of Flora’s mother, and now the accident of her father, all for selfish reasons that now seemed so small in comparison to the destruction she had caused. “I thought I was protecting myself,” Alice said, her voice barely above a whisper, as if admitting it out loud made it real. “After I found out about the deed, I thought I was protecting my future. Olivia's future.” Flora’s tears streamed down her face unchecked now, her sobs quiet but unrelenting. The weight of the grief an
Flora’s breath hitched in her throat as she pushed through the heavy door of the game room, her feet moving faster than her mind could keep up with. The air felt thick with the weight of everything Alice had revealed. She wasn’t sure if it was rage or despair that kept her legs moving, but every step away from that room, away from the suffocating revelations, seemed to get harder. Her vision blurred, and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.Just as she reached the doorway, she collided with something soft but unmoving—a body. Flora staggered back, momentarily startled, before her eyes lifted to meet Olivia’s wide, horrified gaze. Olivia stood frozen, one hand pressed tightly to her mouth, as if it could keep the torrent of emotion from spilling out. Her eyes, so much like Alice’s, yet so different, searched Flora’s face with a kind of desperate confusion. She must have overheard—maybe not everything, but enough to understand that the world they both lived in was c
It was then that Flora realized she hadn’t been breathing—at least not properly. Her chest had been tight, her breaths shallow and erratic, her body on the verge of collapse. She blinked, trying to focus on him, trying to steady herself, but the shaking wouldn’t stop.“I… I don’t know what to do,” Flora choked out, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her hands lifted, almost on their own, to cover his where they rested against her cheeks. She leaned into his touch, feeling the comfort he offered. “I don’t know what to do now.”On the surface, it seemed so simple—call the police, report Alice for what she had done, and make sure she paid for her crimes. Let the authorities deal with the fallout. Flora knew it was the logical course of action, but everything inside her felt too broken to move forward. The weight of it all was crushing her. The grief for her mother, the shock of her father’s murder, the betrayal of a woman she had grown up thinking of as family. It was all to
Flora woke slowly, the remnants of sleep clinging to her mind as her eyes fluttered open. The soft pillows beneath her head felt like clouds, and she blinked against the gentle light streaming through the curtains. Her limbs were heavy, both from sleep and the emotional toll of the past few days. She rolled onto her back, the sheets shifting with her, and inhaled deeply, catching a sweet, familiar scent wafting through the air. It was warm and inviting, carrying hints of slow-cooked tomatoes, and roasted chicken. The aroma wrapped around her like a comforting embrace, stirring something deep within her—a memory, a sense of home.Her stomach growled loudly, a stark reminder of how long it had been since she’d eaten anything substantial. Flora smiled weakly at the sound, a bit of her exhaustion breaking under the small bubble of amusement. As much as she wanted to stay cocooned in the bed, letting herself drift back into the oblivion of sleep, the smell of food was too tempting to
Hello everyone, Ena here! Phew, this has been quite a journey. I can hardly believe that we've reached the end of this story together. What started as a simple idea has grown into something so much more, and that’s all thanks to you readers and your support. Thank you for sticking with me and I'm grateful to every single one of you. Though we’re closing this chapter, I hope this isn’t goodbye. I have more stories to tell, and I’d love to share them with you. I'll be back soon with an even better book. Until next time 💛 All my love, Ena Starr.
Two Weeks Later The evening had settled into a comfortable warmth as Flora parked her car in the driveway of Damien’s estate. The sky was a gentle gradient of fading sunset hues, a perfect close to what had been a long but fulfilling day with Eva. They had been going over the offers from several publishing houses and TV studios, that wanted to monetize Flora's experience with Alice and Janice. It had been exhausting, but there was a sense of peace that came with knowing everything with Alice was truly over. Justice had been served, and Flora was finally free. With a content sigh, she gathered her things, pushing open the front door. The house was unusually quiet, save for the faint rustle of the breeze outside and the distant clinking of glass from the kitchen. A cozy warmth greeted her, the familiar scent of home wrapping her in comfort as she stepped inside. "Hello?" she called out softly, slipping off her shoes and setting
Flora’s breath caught in her throat, but she held her composure, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. She cast a glance across the courtroom and met Alice’s eyes. There was no fire in them, no anger or hatred. Only resignation. This was her fate, sealed and unchangeable. Alice would spend the rest of her life in jail. There would be no escape, no return to the life she once knew. She would die there, alone. The judge then turned her attention to Janice, who sat trembling in her seat. “As for Janice Holden,” the judge said, her tone unwavering, “for the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, and for the misuse of her professional authority as a nurse, resulting in the death of Vera Wicks, this court finds the defendant guilty.” Janice sobbed openly as the judge delivered her sentence: twenty-five years to life, with the possibility of parole only after serving the minimum term. But even with parole, Janice would never fully escape her crimes.
The next few days blurred together, filled with a whirlwind of action and emotion as Flora set the final stage for justice. Filing the formal report against Alice was both cathartic and devastating, but it was something Flora knew she had to do. This was the final step in a journey that had begun when her life was torn apart by betrayal, and now, she was finally fighting back. Alice was arrested almost immediately after Flora's report, and to everyone's surprise, she didn’t resist. For the first time in their long and painful history, she didn’t fight back. There were no screaming matches, no attempts to manipulate or twist the situation in her favor, no venomous remarks hurled in Flora’s direction. Instead, Alice turned herself over with an unsettling calm, submitting a written confession detailing her involvement in both the death of Flora’s mother and the accident that had left her father a prisoner in his own mind. Flora knew Alice’s cooperation wasn’t born
A chill ran down her spine, and she stammered out the first question that came to mind. “Olivia…are you—”Before she could finish, Olivia let out a bitter laugh, the sound filled with a weight of sorrow and exhaustion. It wasn’t a happy laugh, but one of disbelief at her own situation.“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Olivia confirmed softly, cutting off Flora’s stumbling attempt to find the right words. She rubbed her palm lightly over her stomach as if to comfort herself more than anything else. “And before you ask, it’s Cyprus’s.”Flora’s breath caught in her throat. Cyprus. Of course it was his. Her mind flew to that one disastrous night that Olivia had had with the arrogant vice president of Defendwise Ventures.“Olivia…” Flora whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. “What are you going to do?”The question hung in the air like a fragile thread, and for a moment, Olivia seemed lost, her gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the supermarket, beyond the immediate rea
Olivia’s face was puffy, her eyes rimmed red and swollen from crying. She looked utterly devastated, her usual composed demeanor shattered. Her bottom lip quivered as she attempted a smile, but it was weak, trembling at the edges. "Flora," Olivia whispered, her voice cracking. Flora stepped forward, unsure whether to close the distance between them or keep some space. She could see the exhaustion written across Olivia’s features, the turmoil swirling behind her eyes. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the weight of what had brought them here pressing down on both of them. Olivia broke the silence first, her voice barely above a whisper. “I—I didn’t know.” She choked on the words, shaking her head as fresh tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t know what my mother was capable of. I swear to you, Flora, I didn’t know any of it.” Flora stood still, absorbing Olivia’s words. She wanted to believe her. Desperately. But the betrayal of the past day,
The buzzing of Flora’s phone startled her out of her thoughts. It was Olivia. The message read:“Can you meet me in thirty minutes? There's a small 24-hour supermarket called "Pinegrove Market" not far from the estate. I’ll be there. Please, Flora, I really need to talk.”Flora’s pulse quickened as she read the message. Thirty minutes? She glanced at the clock. It was late, and while her body still ached with exhaustion, the urgency in Olivia’s words cut through any hesitation. Something in her gut told her this couldn’t wait. Without overthinking it, she typed a quick reply:“I’ll be there.”She stood up from the couch, assessing her loose pants and short-sleeved top. They would have to do for such an impromptu meeting. She padded quietly upstairs, not wanting to disturb the peaceful quiet of Damien’s home. He was fast asleep, one arm draped over his eyes, his breathing steady and calm. Flora felt a pang of guilt for slipping out, but she had to do this. Bending dow
Just as the words left Eva’s mouth, the kitchen door opened, and Damien stepped inside. He looked at Flora, his gaze soft and warm, and without a word, he crossed the room and kissed her gently on the temple. “Eva’s already started drafting the court papers,” he said, finishing Eva’s sentence. His voice was calm, matter-of-fact, as though they were discussing something far less monumental.Flora blinked, still processing everything. “Has Alice made a move since we left the estate?” she asked, her voice quiet but steady.Damien shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I think she knows this is the end for her.”The weight of his words settled over the room, and for a moment, there was nothing but the soft sound of the stew bubbling on the stove and Whiskerton’s contented purring. Flora exhaled slowly, a mixture of relief and exhaustion washing over her.That night, after dinner had been cleared away and Catarina and Eva had gone off to bed, Flora sat alone on the couch in t
Flora blinked, her eyes stinging with fresh tears. She knew who had orchestrated this—who had called Catarina and Eva, who had made sure that when Flora woke up, she wouldn’t be alone. It had to be Damien. He had seen how close she was to breaking, how much she needed the people around her now. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Flora looked between Catarina and Eva, her lips trembling with a bittersweet smile. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you for coming.” Catarina patted her cheek affectionately. “You’re stuck with us now,” she said with a soft almost motherly smile, before turning back to the stove to finish serving the stew. “Now, sit down and eat before you collapse. I made your favorite.” Flora’s stomach growled again in response, and she let out a soft laugh. Their presence, combined with the savory aroma of the stew, filled the room with a sense of comfort that Flora hadn’t realised she'd been craving .