Chapter 12 - THE BULLET
Victoria screamed.
The chair tipped backward.
Damian ran.
“Mother!”
The bullet had hit her shoulder.
Celeste backed away.
“I warned you.”
Anna moved toward Victoria.
Celeste swung the gun toward her.
“Stay there!”
Anna froze.
Damian pressed his hand against Victoria’s wound.
Blood soaked between his fingers.
“Why shoot her?”
“Because she talks too much.”
Celeste’s voice was shaking now.
The calm mask was breaking.
Anna noticed.
“You’re scared.”
Celeste laughed.
“I’m holding the gun.”
“And you’re still scared.”
“Shut up.”
“You had everything planned.”
“Shut up.”
“But I lived.”
Celeste’s jaw clenched.
“I said shut up!”
Anna stepped closer.
“Eliza!” Damian warned.
She didn’t stop.
“You changed my name.”
Another step.
“You stole my son.”
Another.
“You watched my husband bury an empty coffin.”
Celeste’s eyes filled with fury.
“He chose you!”
Anna stopped.
There it was.
The real wound.
“He always chose you!”
Celeste screamed now.
“Even when you treated him like he was never good enough. Even when you threatened to leave. Even when I was standing right there!”
Damian stared.
Celeste pointed the gun at Anna.
“I was better for him.”
Anna’s voice became quiet.
“No.”
Celeste’s face twisted.
“You don’t get to say that.”
“I do.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t love him.”
Celeste laughed.
“You have no idea—”
“You wanted to own him.”
Silence.
Anna continued.
“You wanted his house. His name. His attention. His money. You wanted to win.”
Celeste’s hand trembled.
“That’s not love.”
Damian saw his chance.
He lunged.
The gun fired.
Anna screamed.
Damian hit Celeste hard.
They crashed into a metal table.
The gun slid across the floor.
Celeste clawed his face.
“You stupid bastard!”
Damian grabbed her wrist.
“You should’ve stayed away from my family.”
She kneed him.
He dropped.
Celeste ran for the gun.
Anna kicked it away.
Celeste grabbed Anna’s hair.
The two women slammed against a crate.
Celeste hissed into her ear.
“You should have died in that ravine.”
Anna drove her elbow backward.
Celeste stumbled.
Then Anna hit her.
Hard.
Once.
Celeste fell.
Police stormed the warehouse.
“DOWN! HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!”
Celeste looked toward the river exit.
For one second, Damian thought she might surrender.
Instead she ran.
A tactical officer tackled her before she reached the door.
She screamed as cuffs locked around her wrists.
“This isn’t over!”
Anna stood shaking.
Damian crossed the room.
She looked at him.
Blood ran from a cut near his eyebrow.
“You’re hurt.”
“So are you.”
Behind them, paramedics reached Victoria.
Marcus entered.
“We got her.”
Damian nodded.
Then Marcus looked at Anna.
“And we got the lab results.”
Everyone went still.
Anna stared at him.
Marcus handed Damian the paper.
Damian read one line.
Then another.
His eyes filled.
Anna whispered, “Well?”
He looked up.
“99.9998 percent.”
Her knees almost gave out.
Damian caught her.
“You’re Oliver’s mother.”
Anna started crying.
Not pretty tears.
Not quiet tears.
She broke completely.
Damian held her.
May you like
And into his chest, she whispered the first words that told him she finally believed it.
“My baby thought I left him.”
