Chapter 7

Victoria had stopped caring about anything else. She was a daughter of the Ellis family. Of course she cared about them, cared about her parents. There was no way she could just watch Hannah die right in front of her. "Mom, I'm begging you, please come down. I swear, I'll get to the bottom of this and give you the truth you deserve, okay?" At her words, Hannah let out a bitter laugh and finally climbed back over the railing. "The truth? The truth is that a heartless thing like you killed my daughter. The evidence is all right there—what more is there to say?" Before Victoria could react, Hannah slapped her hard across the face. The crack of the slap was drowned by the pounding rain. Hannah didn't hold back—Victoria's head snapped to the side, nearly knocking her over. Rain streamed down her face, salty against her lips. She wiped her cheek but stayed kneeling firmly on the ground. She didn't argue back. She was too scared a single word would push Hannah over the edge. A flash of lightning split the sky, and thunder rolled through the distance. Meanwhile— Theodore pulled up outside Isabella's apartment. The second he walked through the door, he saw her passed out on the living room floor. His heart skipped a beat. He rushed forward and scooped her into his arms. "Isabella? Isabella?" Her whole body was cold, completely unconscious. Her ankle was bleeding from a cut, probably glass. Theodore didn't waste a second. He carried her straight to the hospital. It wasn't until late into the night that she finally woke up. He stood by the window, watching sheets of rain pour down and lightning flicker across the sky. His hand tightened around the phone in his pocket. He couldn't help but hesitate— Was Victoria okay right now? A weak voice pulled him back. "Theodore." She still had an IV in her hand. He snapped out of it and quickly walked over to help her sit up. "You're not well, lie down. Don't move around." "Thanks for coming... didn't think you would. Did I mess up any of your plans?" He gently tucked the blanket around her. "No. Your health matters most." As he turned to grab a glass of water, a faint smile played on Isabella's lips. She knew it—Theodore would never just leave her. As for Victoria... without Theodore to shield her, once she got back to the Ellis family, Hannah would tear her apart. That was the price she had to pay for trying to steal Theodore. Later that night, the rain started to ease. A car stopped at the entrance of the cemetery. Hannah yanked a soaked-to-the-bone Victoria out of the car. She stormed ahead, muttering curses under her breath. The old man who looked after the cemetery stumbled out, startled by the sudden appearance of three people in the dead of night. "You folks—who are you? What are you doing here this late?" He'd never seen anyone visit at this hour. Totally freaked him out. William walked up behind them, slipping the old man a wad of cash. "Family matter, hope you understand." Then he quickly caught up to the others. Hannah forced Victoria down in front of Gina's tombstone. "You like kneeling so much? Then stay right here and think really hard about what you've done!" "Let's... let's not go overboard, Hannah," William tried to calm her. "It's late, and she's drenched. Victoria's body might not be able to take it."William hesitated, stepping forward to grab Hannah's arm, trying to reason with her. "The dead can't come back, Hannah. No matter what we do to Victoria, Gina is gone—nothing changes that." Cold air lingered throughout the graveyard, the chill slipping down their necks with every gust of wind, raising goosebumps. William even felt like something—or someone—was watching them from the dark. But Hannah wasn't done. She yanked her arm out of his grip, her glare sharp as glass. "What, you're feeling sorry for her now? You feel sorry for this murderer? Don't forget, that girl's a stray, while the one under this tombstone is your real daughter!" Victoria stayed silent. Her eyes, blank but focused, stared straight at Gina's photo on the gravestone. All she could think about was that day at the forensics lab—the body on the table. Why did Gina end up like that? And how did it somehow lead back to her? Hannah looked down and saw Victoria's calm, almost detached expression, her gaze locked on that smiling photo of Gina. The sight made something in her snap. She lunged forward, hitting and kicking Victoria like she'd completely lost control. "Don't you feel the slightest bit of guilt? You cold-hearted thing! Why didn't I see through you sooner?!" Her voice cracked into a wail. The next moment, she stiffened, eyes rolling back. Before she could hit the ground, William caught her just in time. "Hannah! Hannah!" Panic-stricken, he supported her as they hurried down the steps out of the cemetery. At the bottom, he turned around and glanced back at Victoria, who was still on her knees. There was something resigned in his eyes. Under the red glow of the taillights, the car disappeared into the night, leaving Victoria alone in the dark. Kneeling on the freezing cement, her mind remained strangely sharp. The numbness in her legs only made the moment more painfully real. She slowly stood, brushing off the fallen leaves from Gina's gravestone. So this is what it feels like... being cast aside by the whole world. She tried to imagine Gina's thoughts in those final moments. What was going through her head? Maybe Gina did deserve to die... but not like that. Not so quietly, not without a single answer. Victoria stayed at the cemetery three whole days—not out of guilt, but to try to make sense of everything. Gina's death hit the Ellis family hard. For Victoria, it flipped her entire world upside down. Gina's photo beamed with a bright, sunshine-filled smile. But to Victoria, it looked twisted. Fake. She lifted her head slowly, holding her hand up to the sun filtering between her fingers. The light was so harsh, it made her eyes sting. She'd lost track of how long she'd been out there—no calls, no word from the Ellis family... not even Theodore. As she tried to stand, her vision blurred. Her body gave out, and she collapsed to the cold ground. Just before losing consciousness, she thought she saw a blurry figure rushing toward her—a shadow in black. "Elijah..." Her hand weakly clutched at the man's jacket before going limp. Henry furrowed his brow and checked her breathing quickly before exhaling in relief. "Miss? Hey, can you hear me?" He gently lifted her into his arms and placed her in the ambulance. Just as he turned to head back to the cemetery, he realized she was clutching his jacket with a surprisingly strong grip. Henry sighed, looking down at her pale, worn-out face. No choice now. With one big step, he got into the ambulance.