Chapter 37 - A Way Out

Out of nowhere, and just before all the energy dropped from Isabella’s body, just when she was about to give up, she heard a loud bang followed by the door removal from the hinges.

Her eyes flapped in the direction of the sound. ‘Edmund.’

Edmund, accompanied by an entire team of policemen, stepped inside, and one of them shot Alec in the hand, forcing him to release the hold on her neck. She gasped for air.

“Isabella!” The entire place echoed with her husband’s powerful voice.

Her heart threatened to escape her chest as he rushed to her, untied her hands and lifted her body in his arms, staring at her with his sky-color soul sucking eyes.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, checking her with his eyes.

She shook her head and buried her face in his chest, inhaling his enticing masculine scent.

‘I truly believed I would never be able to do this again!’ She rejoiced, holding tight to him.

Fear was rushing in Edmund’s veins, inflaming his anger.

“I thought I was losing my fucking mind without you! Never leave my sight again! Do you understand?”

She nodded in approval, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He looked around, trying to complete the puzzle. ‘It’s not clear what Moira has to do in this picture, but Alec is a fucking bastard that has to pay for what he did to my lover, to my family!’

“It’s over Alec! I knew that the one who made an attempt on my brother’s life will return to finish the job so I set up a trap at the hospital. Your man is in police custody and after he got himself a good deal, he spilled everything, including the part where you tried to make my plane crash. There is nothing left for you to do, you’ll go to prison! No need to fight it!” He informed him.

“No!” He grabbed the gun from the table and set it between his eyes. “You will not throw me in prison! I am not sorry about anything, and I confess that I blackmailed your cousin into assisting me, Moira is innocent!” He pleaded. “In fact, she tried to stop me, but I threatened to kill her father as well!” He uttered nervously, a trace of concern could be sensed in his voice.

‘I hope he is not intending to…’

“Don’t do anything stupid!” Edmund sought to reason with him.

The next scene shocked everyone to the core, Alec pulled the trigger, dying on the spot.

“Noooo!!!!” Moira fell on the ground, hugging his dead body. “Why?” She caressed his bloodied face. “Why did you do this? I would have figured something out.” She whispered between tears.

‘Compose yourself, Moira! He sacrificed himself for you, giving you an out. You have to grab the opportunity if you want to succeed!’

Isabella was trembling uncontrollably, staring at Alec’s corpse, blood scattered everywhere. “M-my sister! He killed my sister! Luisa is dead!” She shouted in an aching tone.

“Isabella! Isabella, don’t look there, look at me!” Edmund cupped her chin, forcing her to lock eyes with him while carrying her outside the room. “Your sister is fine! She is fine! I’ve moved them, her and my brother, that’s why you weren’t able to see her. At that time, I had to keep it a secret, I did not know who was the one responsible for their condition so I had to be careful not to alert the culprit. They are already in England, waiting for us.”

She blinked a few times, her mind was undeniably troubled, she was experiencing visible emotional pain.

“Everything is fine, baby!” He assured her.

“I’m sorry for not believing you. I mean, about Regina.” She whispered.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m sorry I’ve pinned the blame on your sister. I mean, the accident.” He expressed his regrets.

“It’s of no importance now.” She said, tracing his cheek with her fingertips.

‘I love her so much!’ The thought made his stomach churn. ‘Regina broke me, that’s why I denied my feelings even to myself until I was on the brink of losing her. Now I know for sure that I love her the way I never loved someone.’

He wanted to profess his love to her, but his cousin followed them outside, looking devastated.

“Moira! Moira is the mastermind! She planned everything, she tried to kill everyone! She plotted the car accident, and the plane’s malfunction was caused by her as well!” Isabella cried out.

“Me? Why are you trying to pin this on me?” She confronted her like the good actress she was, then turned her attention to Edmund. “I would never do such a thing. Alec called me here to confess everything, and he did it just before you came. He told me that Luisa was behind everything, and her accomplice was Isabella.”

Edmund glanced at his wife, his eyes conflicted.

“I was in love with him, and even though I knew his past, I thought he loved me enough to move on, to leave his family tragedy behind. For my naivety, I apologize, but to be accused of scheming against my loved ones, that I will not allow!” She pleaded, looking quite shaken.

“How dare you?” Isabella slapped her, feeling enraged. “How dare you accuse me and my sister?” Then she snapped at Edmund. “And you, it seems that I was wrong about you! You almost fooled me into believing that you had feelings for me! But you know what, my dear future ex-husband? You are as deceiving as your cousin and I want nothing more with you!”

Isabella tried to leave, but Edmund grabbed her wrist. “Not so fast.”

Then he signaled a police officer to detain his cousin. “So you are saying that my wife tried to crash the plane during our flight? She had a death wish or what?”

Moira blinked a few times. “I-... I was confused. What I tried to say was that…” She stuttered.

“Enough, Moira! Even when I found out that you lied to me about your father depriving you of the fortune that actually doesn’t exist anymore, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But now you are talking pure nonsense. Which means that you are fucking lying!”

“Are you taking a stranger’s side?”

“She is not a stranger, Isabella is my wife!” He gazed at her as if she was the only one for him in this world. “And she is incapable of lying, that I know for sure.”

Isabella was rendered speechless. Her heart was drumming against her chest, but her mind refused to cooperate with her mouth in forming words.

He trusted her. He believed in her. It was all that mattered. Her sister was somewhere safe and the man she loved took her side.

“You are making a big mistake, Edmund!” Moira struggled to release herself from the cuffs, but it was pointless.

“Perhaps. But we’ll find out after the investigation. Now take her away!” He demanded the officer, and he complied.

“Edmund!” Isabella gazed at him, tears pricking her eyes. “I’m happy that you believed me, but I still want a divorce.”

Her words felt like shattered glass piercing through his soul, but if that was what she desired, he would grant her wish. It was the least he could do after what she had been through because of him.