Chapter 111

Chapter 111
WRITER'S POV
"Kill her, Malone!" Ken shouted, his voice loud and cruel.
Malone froze.
"No!" Hannah cried, shaking her head quickly as Malone lifted the gun toward Vera.
"He's trying to ruin you, Malone. Don't listen to him," she begged.
"You can't shoot our mother. You can't—"
"Don't you dare tell me what to do! Our mother? Please! Go wash your mouth!" Malone snapped, his voice shaking with anger.
His shout echoed in the room, and Tim swallowed his words, fear written all over his face. Vera stood still, her heart racing. She knew Ken never played fair. They were trapped.
"Stop this madness, Prince Kenneth," she said firmly, her voice filled with pain. "Are you really going to turn your own son into a monster like you? Will you be proud of yourself after this?"
"Don't try your cheap tricks on me! Have you forgotten who I am? You think locking me up was that easy? I have people! I can always buy more! Justice doesn't exist! The whole system is a joke!" Ken yelled, stepping down the stairs toward her.
He stood inches from Vera, his breath hot and angry. "You know what they say? You can take a girl out of the gutter, but you can't take the gutter out of the girl. You're nothing but a filthy, useless woman."
Vera's chest tightened. Tears welled in her eyes, but she fought to hold them back. She had provoked him on purpose, hoping to stall him. But it still hurts. She kept eye contact, praying her eyes wouldn’t give her away. Ken’s rage showed his weakness, she had gotten to him.
"And you’ll go down as the only mad king in history," she said, her voice steady. "Without your money, no one would care about you. You’re nothing but a lonely, power-hungry coward."
Before she could finish her thoughts, Ken’s fist slammed into her face. She hit the wall hard. He didn’t stop. He kept punching her.
Tim screamed and tried to stop him, pushing at Ken’s legs. But Ken kicked him away. Hannah and Jessica held Tim back, knowing that trying to fight Ken would only make things worse.
Vera made up her mind. If her pain would stop Ken from turning Malone into a killer… if it would protect her family… she would take the beating.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
Everyone froze.
Then Ken’s body hit the ground beside Vera. He wasn’t moving.
Vera looked up, trying to understand what happened. Malone stood there, holding the gun, his hands trembling. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Vera! Hannah! Jessica!” voices cried out from the back door as it burst open. Jack ran into the room, panic on his face. Oscar followed, then Nathan, and after them came the military.
"Oh thank God!" Jack gasped. He ran straight to Vera and Tim, wrapping them in his arms. "I'm so sorry. I came too late. Damn it!"
Vera’s voice came out as a whisper. “Malone…”
Jack looked up at the boy, still frozen in place with the gun.
Jack climbed the stairs, gently took the gun from Malone’s hands, and helped him down.

Five days later...
The nightmare was over, but Vera couldn’t rest. Ken was gone. She should have felt peace. But Malone hadn’t said a word since that day. Not one word.
Everyone could see that something was wrong, but no one knew how to reach him. One thing was clear though: he had shot Ken to protect Vera. Ken never knew how much his son hated him and maybe that’s the punishment he truly deserved.
"We’re going on vacation soon," Jack said, standing by the window. "The wedding is set for right after we return. And Tim’s grandparents are thrilled. They’re taking Maureen back home quietly. I settled everything with them. There’s no need to alert the media or explain how she’s not Monica but her twin, Maureen."
Vera sat quietly, lost in thought.
Jack turned and noticed her silence. He walked over and gently touched her cheek. “Hey, are you okay? Still thinking about Malone?”
She nodded. “I still can’t believe he didn’t hurt any of us. He could have hurt Tim. They’ve never really gotten along, and I don’t even think he likes me much. If he stays like this, he might not travel with us.”
“Why not?” a voice said from behind them.
They both turned to see Malone standing in the doorway.
“I don’t want to be alone,” he said softly. “I’ll go wherever my family goes.”
Vera bit her tongue. Was she dreaming? Malone never spoke like that, so calm, so kind. He called them family. His family.
Malone walked closer. “The day you saw me handing that envelope to the men in the car,” he said, looking at Jack, “he was already following us. I learned from him how to use secret agents. When he was in prison, I knew I had to take control. Those men? They work for me.”
He took a deep breath. “The justice system doesn’t work against powerful men like him. I had to make Ken believe I hated you. That I wanted revenge. I acted like a spoiled brat so his spies would report what he wanted to hear. I even planted cameras around the house to fool him. I played along… waited for my moment… and ended it myself.”
He paused and met Vera’s eyes.
“He didn’t deserve to live. Even jail would’ve been too good for him. He would’ve bribed his way out and come back to hurt us again. I knew everything he did to you. I was just a kid, but he tortured me too. Because I was your son. I didn’t grow up happy like everyone thinks. He raised me like a weapon, and now… the dog bit him back.” His lips curled into a bitter smile.
Jack looked heartbroken. “You should’ve told us. I believed you had something planned, but I didn’t know if I could trust how you’d go about it.”
“If I had told you, the plan wouldn’t have worked. He would’ve ended up in prison again, and somehow, he’d find a way back into our lives. This was the only way. Now he’s gone… and we can breathe.”
“You could’ve died,” Vera whispered. She pulled him into a hug and tears spilled down both their faces.
Jack wrapped his arms around them. His chest was tight, full of emotion. This family had been through hell, but they had survived.
Their tears weren’t just for pain. They were tears of relief, of love, of hope.
Jack didn’t promise a life without troubles, but he made one silent vow in that moment:
Whatever breaks, I’ll fix it.
I’ll never stop trying.
Amor vincit omnia…
The End.