Chapter 13 - Standoff at the Cliffside Manor
“Elena…” Mark choked out, his voice trembling with pathetic desperation. “Elena, please… let me explain…”
I walked slowly toward him, holding Lucas close to my chest, while Detective Miller stood beside me holding Leo.
I looked down at the man I had once loved, the man who had promised to cherish me in sickness and in health. Looking at him now, I felt no sorrow, no love, and no pity. I only felt the cold, righteous clarity of a survivor.
“Explain what, Mark?” I asked, my voice calm, steady, and sharp as broken glass. “Explain how you stood over my hospital bed and cried fake tears while our son was being sold in an underground parking garage?”
“I did it for our future!” Mark pleaded wildly, tears streaming down his pale face. “I was in debt, Elena! Dangerous men were going to come after us! They were going to kill me! The Hendersons promised they would give Lucas a life of luxury! I thought… I thought we could survive with one baby and start fresh!”
“You didn't do it to protect us,” I said, looking down at him with utter disgust. “You did it because you are a weak, selfish coward who valued his own skin more than the flesh and blood of your own children. You sold your own child for an offshore bank account.”
Mark reached out with his chained hands, trying to touch the hem of my coat. “Elena, please… don't testify against me! If you testify, they’ll give me thirty years! Think about our history! Think about the years we spent together!”
“The man I spent those years with never existed,” I said coldly, stepping back out of his reach. “You are a monster. And I will make sure the judge hears every single detail of what you did.”
Arthur Vance stepped between us, placing a heavy hand on Mark’s shoulder and pulling him to his feet.
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“Get him into the transport,” Arthur ordered the officers. “Take him to county central holding. Charge him with federal human trafficking, conspiracy to commit child abduction, falsification of vital records, and attempted first-degree poisoning.”
Mark began sobbing hysterically as the officers dragged him toward the transport van, his screams echoing across the empty lawns until the heavy metal doors slammed shut, cutting off his voice forever.
