Chapter 8
The syringe contained a blood thinner strong enough to trigger internal bleeding.
The doctor said that carefully.
As if gentleness could soften attempted murder.
Thomas threw a chair against the wall after he heard.
I wanted to.
My body would not let me.
So I did the only thing I could.
I took control.
From my hospital bed, I removed Julian from every company system.
I froze his corporate cards.
I revoked his email access.
I changed trust permissions.
I signed emergency board notices with Sarah as witness.
Every click cut another wire they had wrapped around my life.
At 6:00 p.m., Julian called.
This time, Sarah recorded openly.
He was crying.
“Gen, I swear I didn’t know about the nurse.”
“But you knew about the papers.”
Silence.
“Julian.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know about my father?”
“No.”
“Did you suspect?”
Another silence.
That was answer enough.
“Mom said he was blackmailing us,” he whispered.
“Us?”
“The family. She said if the lake wasn’t transferred, everything would fall apart.”
“What is under the lake property?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why did you help?”
His voice broke.
“Because she said I’d lose everything.”
I looked at Hazel.
“You chose everything over us.”
“I can fix this.”
“You cannot fix what you became.”
He cried harder.
Then he whispered, “Vale has women at the North Ridge facility.”
Sarah leaned forward.
“What women?”
“Wives. Heirs. Patients with money. People declared unstable.”
My breath stopped.
“Who signs the declarations?”
Julian whispered one name.
“Mother.”
Then a crash sounded on his end.
He gasped.
The line went dead.
Detective Collins traced it.
Julian’s location was the Vance estate.
When police arrived, he was gone.
May you like
There was blood on the floor.
And Eleanor’s pearl necklace lay broken beside it.
