Chapter 210: Truth Bomb
Ellen and Mason left the police station in silence, obviously overwheld by what they just learned. As they walked down the steps and toward their car, Ellen stole a glance at Mason’s face, noticing the doubts and confusion that were written all over him. She herself could barely wrap her head around it—Hans, the man who had haunted their lives with threats and violence, claiming to be Mason’s brother? It felt like a bad dream, sothing so bizarre it was hard to accept.
Still, when she thought about Hans’ intense stare, she couldn’t shake the feeling he was telling the truth. His anger and bitterness felt way too real to be made up. She thought back to her conversation with Philip long ago. He had ntioned about Luca, the man everyone believed was responsible for the robbery and brutal murders of Mason’s family.
According to Philip, Luca was an immigrant who barely spoke English and had arrived in town just months before the incident. The cops caught him with so jewelry that was claid to be stolen from Mason’s ho and had no alibi to back him up.
Ellen started to think that maybe Hans was behind everything, running the show and throwing Luca under the bus. It was possible Hans had taken advantage of Luca’s desperation and language barrier, using him to cover his own tracks. The thought made her feel a little sick.
She glanced at Mason beside her in the car, lost in his own world as he clutched the steering wheel. He had a blank look on his face. Whatever he was feeling, he wasn’t sharing it with her. She reached out, placing a hand on his arm gently.
"Are you okay, Mason?" she asked softly, even though she felt like the question was silly since nobody could really be okay after finding out his mom had another son who murdered his whole family and that his half-brother was a criminal.
Mason didn’t look at her. He seed to be staring off into the distance as if he was trying to confront the dark secret that had been hiding in his past. "I... I don’t know," he said finally. "I don’t know what to believe. But I can’t ignore it, Ellen." He glanced at her then. "I need to get a DNA test."
Ellen nodded, her own worries wrapping around her chest. She saw him start the car and pull onto the road, his face as serious as ever. The silence was too heavy, filled with all by all the questions and fears neither of them had answers to.
**
The waiting was torturous. Days passed, and they were left holding their breath, stuck between shock and fear. Every ti she looked at Mason, Ellen saw the toll it was taking on him. He was quieter than normal, and the spark in his eyes was gone. Then finally, the result ca.
Ellen squeezed Mason’s hand while he was studying the DNA test. "The DNA test confirms a match," he said. "We really are half-siblings, sharing the sa maternal DNA." Mason threw the paper onto the table, and Ellen grabbed it to see for herself before putting it down.
Ellen turned to him, but he looked completely frozen. He was staring at the floor, his mind clearly elsewhere. Her heart ached seeing him like that. The man who was usually so strong and sure of himself now seed totally lost, overwheld by feelings he couldn’t put into words.
"Mason," she whispered, reaching out to touch his face. "It’s okay if you’re angry, or sad, or... anything. You don’t have to hold it in."
For a mont, he didn’t say anything, just staring at his hands like they had all the answers to his questions. Finally, he let out a dry laugh and shook his head. "I never knew," he whispered. "I never knew my mother had another son." His voice cracked slightly, though he swallowed hard, trying to keep it together. "I never thought she’d be capable of... of doing sothing so cold. Rejecting her own son."
He whispered it with a bitter tone, clearly not believing it. "All my life, I saw her as... as perfect. Loving, kind. And now, to think she could be the reason for soone else’s pain." He chuckled bitterly. "What a joke, huh?"
Ellen’s heart broke a little more with each word. "Mason... none of this was your fault. You didn’t know."
"But she did," Mason shot back, his eyes eting hers with anger that Ellen recognized wasn’t aid at her. "She knew, and she... abandoned him." He slumped back in his chair, his face twisted in anger and sadness. "My pain, everything I’ve been through... it’s because of my own mother." He shook his head, as if trying to brush away the feeling of betrayal settling in deep.
Ellen wanted to say sothing, anything, to ease the pain she saw etched across his face. But before she could find the words, he looked at her, his expression softening slightly. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn’t be involving you in this."
She shook her head and leaned in closer, her eyes full of understanding. "I’m here for you, Mason. It’s ok. It’s fine."
He took a deep breath, his eyes turning intense. "But I won’t let him ruin anything for us, Ellen," he said. He reached up, touching her cheek, his thumb brushing softly against her skin. "I won’t let him hurt you. I can’t let anything happen to you."
Ellen’s heart ached, a rush of warmth and worry filling her at the sa ti. She knew Mason ant what he said and that he’d do whatever it took to keep them safe, but it didn’t chase away the fear that had settled in her heart.
"I’ll make sure he rots in jail and never gets the chance to hurt us again."
Hans was clearly dangerous, and his threat kept replaying in Ellen’s mind, like a promise she hoped he wouldn’t keep. She just hoped Hans would never get a chance to do anything ever again.
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