Matthew
I rush ho as soon as I get off the phone with Josh.
That fucking bastard. How dare he co into my ho and threaten my wife!
The tires screech as I pull into the driveway. I don’t even bother turning the engine off. I throw the door open and bolt toward the back garden, my heart pounding in ti with the fury roaring in my blood.
The first thing I see is Sarah sitting on the bench, pale, trembling, one hand protectively cradling her stomach. Josh is sitting with her, no sign of Rodrigo.
"Sarah," I breathe, rushing to her side. I drop to my knees in front of her, cupping her face with both hands. "Are you hurt? Did he—" My voice breaks.
She shakes her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "He tried to take . It’s like he is obsessed with . He grabbed ."
I close my eyes, trying to keep control. Barely succeeding. "I swear to God, he won’t touch you ever again."
I exhale sharply and look at Josh. "Where is he now?"
"I tied him up and locked him inside the shade," Josh says. "I figured I’d wait to call the cops until you get here."
"Good call. I have sothing to ask him. I called Charles to co here too," I say grimly.
Sarah looks at with surprise. "My dad? He won’t like this."
"Your father knows about Rodrigo and what kind of a shitty person he is," I say.
"Wh-what do you an? What does he know?" Sarah asks.
I put my arm around her and pull her closer. "I think it’s best we wait for him and you hear it from his own mouth."
I didn’t want her to find out what her father did this way, but now is a good ti than any. Sarah deserves to know the truth.
I kiss Sarah’s forehead and stand up. "Stay here with Josh. I’ll be right back."
"Matthew, wait—" Sarah grabs my wrist, her eyes wide with fear. "What are you going to do?"
I cover her hand with mine, squeezing gently. "I’m just going to talk to him."
Josh gives a knowing look. "Do you want to co with you?"
"No," I say firmly. "Stay with Sarah. Don’t let her out of your sight."
As I walk toward the garden shed, rage builds with each step. My hands clench into fists, knuckles white. The bastard who tried to hurt my wife, who tornted her as a child, is just a few feet away.
The padlock clicks open, and I swing the door wide. Rodrigo sits bound to a tal chair, duct tape around his wrists and ankles. A thin line of blood trickles from his temple where Josh struck him. His eyes narrow when he sees .
"Ah, the husband arrives," he says. "Co to defend your little wife’s honor?"
I shut the door behind . "You ca into my ho. You put your hands on my pregnant wife."
"She belongs with ," he hisses.
My fist connects with his jaw before I even realize I’ve swung. Pain radiates through my knuckles, but it’s nothing compared to the satisfaction of watching his head snap back.
"That’s for touching her," I growl.
Rodrigo spits blood onto the concrete floor. "You think you’re the hero? You know nothing. Ask Charles why he let near his daughter all those years. Ask him what he traded for his success."
My stomach turns. I already know, but hearing it from this monster’s mouth makes it real in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
"Charles won’t save you now," I say coldly. "And neither will your money or connections."
A car door slams outside. Charles has arrived.
The shed door opens, and Charles stands there, his face ashen. He looks older sohow, the weight of his sins finally catching up to him.
"Matthew," he says quietly. "Let handle this."
I look between Charles and Rodrigo, two n who destroyed Sarah’s childhood for their own selfish reasons.
"She deserves to know everything," I tell Charles. "All of it."
Charles nods slowly. "I know. And she will."
"Now. You tell her what you did. How you used her as bait," I demand.
"What is he talking about, Daddy?" Sarah’s voice startles us both.
Charles flinches like he’s been shot. Slowly, he turns around to face his daughter, who stands in the doorway of the shed. Josh lingers just behind her, looking guilty as he couldn’t hold her back.
Her hands are clenched at her sides, her jaw trembling. "What does he an, Dad?" she repeats, more forcefully this ti. "What did you do?"
"Sarah..." Charles takes a step forward, but she recoils.
"Don’t," she whispers. "Don’t take another step until you tell the truth."
Charles looks at , then back at her, and I can see him unraveling. Whatever mask of control he wore his entire life is slipping now, fast. The silence stretches for a beat too long before he finally speaks.
"I faked your kidnapping when you were six, so I could use the ransom to pay off my debt," he says softly. "With Rodrigo’s help."
Sarah stares at him in disbelief. "You...what!?"
Charles exhales shakily, raking a hand through his hair. "It wasn’t supposed to end up like how it did. But...it’s a long story. Rodrigo tricked and kept you away longer. I am so sorry, sweetheart. I had no idea he had other intentions for you."
Sarah’s face drains of color, her eyes widening with horror. "You... you had kidnapped?" Her voice cos out as a broken whisper. "Your own daughter?"
Rodrigo laughs, a cold, cruel sound that fills the small space. "Tell her the rest, Charles. Tell her how desperate you were. How pathetic."
Charles’s shoulders slump. "I was in debt—gambling debts I couldn’t pay. Rodrigo offered to help stage a kidnapping. Evelyn’s father, your grandfather, would pay it, and you’d only be gone for a day. That was the plan."
"But that’s not what happened," I say, unable to contain my disgust. "Tell her what really happened."
Sarah’s gaze darts between us, her breathing shallow and quick. "What happened to ?"
Charles can’t et her eyes. "Rodrigo kept you for three days instead of one. Police found you in a motel and you were... different. Withdrawn. You had nightmares."
"I was traumatized," Sarah finishes, her voice hollow. "Rodrigo did sothing to ."
Charles turned to Rodrigo. "Tell the truth now, Rodrigo. Did you hurt her?"
Rodrigo sneers, a grotesque smile twisting his face despite the blood on his lips. "I couldn’t do what I wanted with her," he says, eyes gleaming with a sick amusent. "The little princess was too wild, too defiant. She scratched and bit and scread like a banshee whenever I tried to touch her."
His gaze slides to Sarah, appraising her. "Even at six, you knew how to fight. I’d get close, and you’d start thrashing. Kicked right in the groin once." He chuckles darkly.
Sarah’s hand flies to her mouth, mories crashing over her in waves. Her legs wobble beneath her.
"I rember," she whispers. "I rember being in that house. And this woman...she dragged away from you."
Charles lunges forward suddenly, grabbing Rodrigo by the collar. "You sick bastard! You told you just wanted to help! You said she won’t be hard!"
"You’ve always been an idiot, Charles," Rodrigo says coldly.
"You think your little ruse of a kidnapping would work for free? I just wanted sothing in return."
My stomach churns with disgust, but I force myself to step forward. I need to end this now.
"That’s enough," I say, my voice deadly calm. "Sarah, go back to the house."
She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "No. I need to hear everything."
I look at her, my heart breaking. She deserves to know, but not like this. Not from him.
"The police are on their way," Josh says from behind Sarah. "They should be here any minute."
Rodrigo’s smug expression falters. "You can’t prove anything. It was twenty years ago."
"We don’t need to prove what happened then," I say coldly. "Attempted kidnapping today is enough. Sarah has the marks on her wrists from where you grabbed her."
Charles turns to Sarah, his face crumpled with sha and regret. "Sarah, I never knew what he tried to do to you. I swear. When I realized he wasn’t bringing you back after the first day, I panicked."
"And then what?" Sarah demands, her voice trembling with fury. "You just let think I had imaginary trauma? You let believe I was crazy when I had nightmares?"
"The doctors said it was better not to make you relive it," Charles says weakly. "Your mother and I thought—"
"You were protecting yourselves," I cut in. "Not her."
Sarah sways slightly on her feet. Josh steadies her with a hand on her elbow.
"Did Mom know?" she asks, her voice small. "About the fake kidnapping?"
Charles hesitates. "Not at first. I told her after it went wrong."
Sarah wraps her arms around herself, as if trying to hold herself together. "I can’t believe this," she whispers.
"Princess," Rodrigo interjects, his voice sickeningly sweet. "Your father is the villain here, not . Charles, why don’t you tell her why her grandpa didn’t jump in with the money to rescue her right away, hmm? Since we are revealing all the truths here, tell her the true origin of her birth."
Reviews
All reviews (0)