Chapter 29
Today is the day. I’ve been watching Owen’s schedule. I invited him to dinner, but he said he’d be home late, so I’ll try the codes Jhon sent me again. Only three left, and I hope one of them works.
I plan my day carefully so everything goes smoothly—when the girls go upstairs to clean, Mama preparing dinner, Marcus’s snack time, all happening at once. In less than a month, my father has another hearing, and this time I’m getting him out.
I put Ellie to sleep, go downstairs, and head to the kitchen. Mama is in her routine, preparing dinner and dessert. Marcus is there with her and some security guards, having a snack. I grab a glass of water and turn to leave. I’m nervous, I admit, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work.
I leave the kitchen and start up the stairs. I look back—no one. I go back down and run to the office. I slip in without making a sound and grab the book. I flip to the passwords I received and try one—I hear a click. Of course. The wife’s date of birth.
I see the key inside, grab it, and close the book, putting it back in place.
I go straight to the drawer, my hands trembling as I fit the key into its slot and turn it.
My heart starts racing. I finally open the drawer, and there’s a folder inside.
I pick it up with trembling hands and pull out the documents—it’s all there.
I flip through to make sure it’s the entire case. Yes.
Just as I’m about to put everything back in the folder, the door flies open. I look up—me with the documents in my hands, Owen staring at me with hatred. I’ve never seen him like this. He walks in calmly and asks:
“You’ve been acting strange these past few days, so I had my security guards keep an eye on you. Now tell me—who are you, what do you want, and don’t lie to me again.”
His voice is almost too calm, and that scares me even more. I answer.
“My name is Amélie Evans. I’m James’s daughter—the man you put in jail.”
He takes a deep breath. Once, twice. His eyes are darker than normal. I think he could kill me with just his gaze.
“So you infiltrated my house, looking for proof that I was the one who kept him in jail all this time.” His voice rises. “He killed my wife. He deserved to die like she did. He destroyed my life and my daughter’s.”
I completely lose control. I knew he’d done something, but I didn’t know what until now, and I’m outraged by everything he just said. I lunge at him, throwing punch after punch at his chest. How could he do this?
“My father is a good man. He didn’t deserve to go through all this. I hate you! He wasn’t wrong, but your ego won out and you put an innocent man in jail.”
“He killed my wife. How is he innocent? He deserved every minute he spent in there, and as far as I’m concerned, he could rot there a few more years. I wasn’t the one who put him there—the evidence did. A murderer deserves to pay for what he did.”
I’m crying uncontrollably. He grabs my arms and shoves me, and I fall. He goes to the folder with the documents and picks them up.
“Is this what you want?”
He simply tears them up in front of me. I crawl over to the papers, all shredded.
I pick them up—they were the only proof I had to get my father out of there, and he destroyed them.
Sobbing, I gather each little piece of paper he tore, thinking about everything, repeating to myself, “Forgive me, Dad, forgive me, I tried, I swear I tried.”
“Get the hell out of here before I lose my head. I hate being lied to.”
I get up from the floor, my face bathed in tears, and look at him.
“I’m leaving. I have nothing left to do here anyway.”
“Marcus, get this woman out of my sight. Now.”
“Don’t touch me. I know the way out. I can go by myself.” He looks at me, his dark eyes still full of hatred. “At least let me say goodbye to Ellie, and I need to get my things. Listen to me one last time, then. I’m here now to talk to you, to tell you…”
“I don’t want to hear anything from your lying mouth.
I don’t believe anything you could tell me, and I don’t want my daughter to have any more contact with the daughter of a murderer, a criminal.
You don’t even deserve to get close to her.
Now that I’ve discovered who you are, get the hell out of here. I’m tired of looking at your face.”
“Fine, I’ll leave, but don’t come to regret this,” I say, my eyes bathed in tears.
He comes up to me, grabs my arm, and drags me out. All the employees watch as he opens the door and throws me outside. He points his finger at me and says:
“I don’t want to see you ever again, understand? Never again.”
He slams the door, and I stand there staring at it for several minutes. Then Marcus comes up to me and says:
“You’d better leave, Amy, before he shows up here again.”
“Despite everything, my feelings for all of you were sincere.”
I lower my head, grab my phone, and text Ari to pick me up.
I never thought I’d leave someone’s house like this, kicked out this way.
I already knew he didn’t tolerate lies or mistakes, but the way he acted, he didn’t even give me a chance to tell him about the pregnancy.
But what did I expect? I invaded his house, his privacy, and for what?
For nothing. I put my hand on my belly and think, “It’ll be just us, baby. ”
I hate myself right now. I hate myself for not grabbing any documents, any photos, nothing—absolutely nothing.
I went through all of this only to walk out empty-handed.
Minutes later my friend pulls up and I get in.
She hugs me and I cry harder—for everything, out of guilt, out of feeling like a failure, for not getting what I wanted.
“Damn it, I’m such an idiot. I never should have come here.”
“You did what you thought was right. Don’t blame yourself. Just remember—you have to be strong now, for your baby. And… did you tell him?”
“No, he didn’t even give me the chance to say anything. My life in there was nothing but lies, and if I’d told him he wouldn’t have believed me. It was better this way.”
“You’re not alone, okay? You have me, your grandmother. We’ll never abandon you.”
“Just get me out of here, please.”
And so, I say goodbye to that house—mine for months that were the happiest of my life.
I feel terrible for Ellie, such a beautiful little girl, full of love to give.
But it’s over. My reality is different now, and I’ll focus on that—my baby and my studies.
It was a good time, one I won’t experience again, but one I lived fully, and it will stay in the past.