Chapter 10 - DANIEL’S CHOICE
Dad moved in front of me.
Vanessa laughed.
“Now you grow a conscience?”
“Put the gun down.”
“You’re pathetic.”
Vanessa pointed at Mom.
“She ruined everything.”
Mom stared at Dad.
“Tell Clara the truth.”
Dad’s face collapsed.
Vanessa screamed, “Don’t.”
I looked at him.
“What happened that night?”
Dad shut his eyes.
“I told Vanessa to scare your mother.”
Mom’s jaw tightened.
“You cut my brake line.”
“I didn’t know she would do that.”
Vanessa laughed.
“Coward.”
Dad turned.
“You drove her off the road!”
“You stood there and watched.”
I felt sick.
Dad looked at me.
“Clara, I made mistakes.”
“Mistakes?”
My voice cracked.
“You let me think Mom was dead.”
He started crying.
“I was afraid.”
Vanessa aimed at Mom.
“Enough.”
A shot fired.
Dad fell.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
Mom grabbed me.
James tackled one gunman.
Arthur hit the other with a metal bar.
Vanessa ran.
Before leaving, she shouted:
“Daniel, tell them who signed the life insurance papers!”
Mom froze.
Dad groaned on the floor.
“What did she mean?”
He wouldn’t answer.
Mom grabbed his jacket.
“What insurance?”
Dad looked at her.
“You were worth fifty million dollars dead.”
Even James went silent.
Mom whispered:
“You tried to collect it?”
Dad shook his head.
“Vanessa did.”
Then he said the sentence that changed everything.
“She forged my signature.”
For the first time, Dad had evidence that could destroy Vanessa.
But when Mom reached for his phone, it wasn’t there.
May you like
Vanessa had taken it.
And inside that phone was the only copy of every message between them.
