Chapter206 Patrick's help

Chapter206 Patrick's help
Aliya POV
My fist connected hard with Victor's nose bridge before I even realized what I was doing. The sound of cartilage crunching filled the small conference room.
"Do you know Patrick is dying?" I demanded, my voice shaking with rage. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Victor just sat there in his wheelchair, blood streaming from his nose, saying nothing. His silence made me even angrier.
Nikolai quickly handed Victor a handkerchief to clean up the blood. "Brother, you really went too far this time."
Victor wiped his nose slowly, his voice calm despite the injury. "If someone has to be the bad guy, let it be me."
That's when I heard the sound of labored breathing coming from the doorway. I turned around and my heart sank. Patrick was standing there, leaning heavily against the door frame, his face pale and drawn. He looked like he could barely stand.
"Patrick, don't do anything stupid," I said urgently, rushing toward him. "I can handle this myself. You don't need to get involved."
Patrick gave me a weak smile as he used the wall to steady himself. "I came here because I'm already prepared for what needs to be done."
When the recess ended,Sarah and her lawyer were becoming more aggressive, pressing their advantage with renewed confidence.
Then I watched Patrick stand up .
"Sarah, just because you're poor now doesn't give you the right to falsely accuse someone of murder for money," Patrick said clearly.
Sarah's voice rose . "What gives you the right to say I'm lying?"
"Because three years ago, I was also on that ship," Patrick replied, his words hitting the room like a bombshell. "And the person who forced Marcus to commit suicide and disposed of his body was me."
Sarah and Marcus's parents erupted in disbelief, shouting and protesting. The judge banged his gavel repeatedly, demanding order in the courtroom.
"Mr. Dalton," the judge said sternly, "what evidence do you have to support this claim? What possible motive could you have had against Marcus Stonecreek?"
Patrick straightened up as much as his condition would allow. "Of course I had motive. Henry had stolen my rightful position as Alpha, and he was working with Marcus. If I was going to take down Henry, I couldn't let Marcus live either."
No, that’s not true. He’s just making up a reason to convince the judge!
Marcus's parents were on their feet now, his father's face red with outrage. "This is ridiculous! This is a court of law! You can't just come in here and commit perjury!"
Patrick's response was chilling in its calm delivery.
"Actually, I have a bit of a hobby. After I kill someone, I like to keep souvenirs. Marcus's body is currently preserved in formaldehyde in my basement. I still have the knife I used to force him to jump. You're welcome to go check if you'd like."
The courtroom erupted in chaos. People were gasping, some were screaming, and reporters were frantically scribbling notes. I stared at Patrick in complete disbelief, unable to process what I was hearing.
The judge was banging his gavel furiously, trying to restore order. "Mr. Dalton, these are extremely serious allegations you're making against yourself."
"I understand that, Your Honor," Patrick replied calmly. "I'm prepared to face the consequences of my actions."
Court officers immediately moved to detain Patrick. I watched helplessly as they placed handcuffs on his wrists, his body swaying slightly from the effort of standing for so long.
As they led him away, Patrick caught my eye one last time. There was no regret in his expression, only a strange kind of peace. He gave me the slightest nod, as if to say everything would be okay.
I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I just stood there watching them take away a man who was sacrificing everything to save me.
Nikolai's arm came around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. His touch was warm and steady, anchoring me to reality when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control.
"Aliya," he said softly, his voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, tears threatening to spill over. "Patrick, why did he go this far? Why would he do this?"
Nikolai's grip tightened protectively around me. "What do you mean?"
"He planned this from the beginning," I whispered, my voice breaking. "From three years ago, when he joined me in plotting against Marcus, he had already been preparing to take the blame for my crime."
The realization hit me like a physical blow.
All those conversations we'd had, all the times he'd insisted he wanted to protect me, the way he'd looked at me with such determination. He hadn't been making empty promises. He'd been planning to sacrifice himself all along.
"He knew," I continued, my voice barely audible. "He knew he was dying anyway, so he figured he might as well use whatever time he had left to save me."
Nikolai turned me to face him, his hands gentle on my shoulders. "Aliya, listen to me. This isn't your fault. Patrick made his own choice."
"But he's going to die in prison instead of in a hospital," I said, the full weight of it crushing down on me. "He's going to die alone, branded as a murderer, all because of me."
"No," Nikolai said firmly. "Because he cared about you. Because he thought you were worth saving."
"He never even got to really live," I whispered. "All those years hiding who he really was, and now this."
Nikolai pulled me closer, his voice soft in my ear. "Then don't waste what he's given you. Make his sacrifice mean something."
As the court officers finally cleared the room and the judge declared a recess to deal with this new development, I realized Patrick's plan had worked perfectly.
Sarah's testimony was now meaningless. The evidence against me was overshadowed by Patrick's confession.
But victory had never felt so hollow.
"Come on," Nikolai said gently, guiding me toward the exit. "Let's get out of here."