I would never forget the day my mother and my cousin sent my father behind bars with the aid of the man with who I was head over heels in love.
It turned out I was the only one unaware of the things going on all along. Staring at the departing patrolling car, I remained stagnant in the middle of the street.
Overwhelmed by emotions, Christopher finally rushed to my side and held me in his arms, announcing in a gentle tone, “I’m sure you’re horrified by the series of incidents, aren’t you? It’s not what you think it is!”
Confused by the things going on, I asked, “We have just thrown my father behind bars! He’s going to spend the rest of his life in isolation! What on earth is going on?”
“He’s finally gone! It feels so surreal!” Isabelle buried her face in her hands as torrents of grief streamed down her cheeks. “Mark, as capable as you might be, justice will always triumph! I swore to bring upon your undoing on the day you took me away against my will! I finally did it!”
“Can someone tell me the things going on?” I repeated my question since I was confused by the series of incidents.
“He’s not your father, Eve! He doesn’t even deserve your sympathy because your relationship with Christopher is the sole reason he acknowledges you as his daughter! He thought he might stand something to gain, but I made use of his greed and brought upon his undoing!”
Standing next to me while weeping, Isabelle gasped out the details, “You have my thanks, Yvonne! I’m glad you have found such an exceptional man! I wouldn’t have made it had it not been for Christopher’s aid! I might need to spend another few years with Lucas to work something up to bring upon Mark’s downfall! After spending twenty years in isolation, I have finally avenged the members of the Andersons!”
Isabelle staggered and passed out as she couldn’t remain her composure anymore.
“Mom!” I shrieked and rushed over to stop her from falling in the nick of time. In the end, we rushed her to the hospital.
Her attending physician told me it wasn’t a big deal since she had merely passed out after getting overly worked up. Shortly after I tucked her in, I walked out of the ward to join Christopher and Lucas.
I knew they had a lot to tell me. Similarly, I had all sorts of questions for them since Isabelle merely told me Mark wasn’t my father.
“Actually, things were tough for Aunt Isabelle throughout the years since she wasn’t even in love with Mark. She was brought away against her will and spent every day in despair because she was forced to leave you alone. When you finally returned to her, she had to be indifferent in order to keep you safe from the maniac as he might torture you in the manner he had been torturing us.”
Halfway through his orated speech, Lucas paused. After much hesitation, he added, “The injuries Aunt Isabelle sustained the last time you encountered her was nothing as compared to the time Mark rendered her unconscious after a brutal beat-up. I saw it with my own eyes, Yvonne. Aunt Isabelle was rushed to the hospital since her ribs had been fractured while her legs were broken.”
He furrowed his brows before continuing, “That vicious man had ruined our lives! That was precisely the reason we had been plotting against him throughout the years! We had been waiting forever just to get rid of him once and for all!”
I couldn’t even imagine the horrifying experiences Isabelle had throughout the years when the injuries she once sustained were considered nothing serious.
“Do you still recall the projects he put you in charge of? Those were nothing more than a money-laundering attempt of his! He’s trying to get you involved in his shady trades to keep me at bay! Thankfully, he wasn’t aware your mother and cousin were up to something all this while! Once we gathered the evidence to send him behind bars, we knew it was time to take him out!”
