Chapter 9 - THE FIRE IN CHARLES’S GARAGE
Charles survived.
The explosion occurred seconds after he opened the driver’s door.
A neighbor pulled him away before the fire spread.
He suffered burns along one arm and part of his back.
Investigators found a device beneath the vehicle.
It had been triggered remotely.
Beatrice publicly blamed Julian.
Julian blamed North Crest.
Peter claimed it was unrelated.
The family began attacking itself.
Charles agreed to speak from the hospital.
He told investigators Beatrice had controlled Julian since childhood.
She treated affection as a reward.
If Julian pleased her, he was brilliant.
If he failed, she withdrew everything.
Charles spent decades surrendering decisions to avoid conflict.
When Harper’s business became successful, Beatrice saw a solution to every financial problem.
“She said Julian had finally chosen well.”
“Not because he loved me?”
Charles looked away.
“Because you had potential.”
He admitted knowing about Cassandra and Noah.
He admitted receiving money from the hidden account.
He admitted seeing Julian drug my wine.
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I told myself the dose was harmless.”
“You told yourself what allowed you to stay silent.”
“Yes.”
Charles gave investigators access to Beatrice’s private storage unit.
Inside were financial records, forged signatures, and photographs of me dating back to college.
There was also a copy of my Stanford application essay.
Beatrice had kept it for ten years.
My essay described my dream of creating affordable wellness centers for women working multiple jobs.
I had believed that dream was delayed by love.
In truth, Beatrice feared education would make me harder to control.
The storage unit contained another item.
A life insurance policy.
Julian had purchased it six months earlier.
The policy insured my life for fifteen million dollars.
Beatrice was the secondary beneficiary.
My signature appeared on the application.
It was forged.
The insurer required a medical examination.
Dr. Reed signed the health certification without examining me.
The anniversary plan was now clear.
Julian intended to kill me.
The affair was not the main event.
It was the celebration before it.
He believed I would be drugged later that night.
Mia did not know.
She was supposed to leave before I returned.
Instead, I arrived early.
By locking them inside the jacuzzi room, I stopped Julian from accessing the pills in his jacket.
The act people called revenge may have saved my life.
Police issued warrants for Julian and Beatrice.
Peter surrendered through his attorney.
Julian disappeared.
Beatrice disappeared thirty minutes before officers reached her hotel.
Her phone was found in a trash can.
Surveillance showed her leaving in a black SUV.
The driver wore a baseball cap.
Marcus enlarged the image.
It was Dr. Reed.
The two people who had planned to make me look mentally unstable were now running together.
Mia called me from an unknown number.
Her voice was shaking.
“Julian found me.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
A man grabbed the phone.
Julian’s voice came through the line.
“You turned my family against me.”
“You did that yourself.”
“You have the videos.”
“Yes.”
“Bring the server drive.”
“And you release Mia?”
He laughed.
“You still want to save her?”
“No.”
I looked at Rachel.
“But I want you to believe I do.”
Julian became quiet.
May you like
For the first time in ten years, I was no longer the person reacting to his plan.
I was creating one.
