Chapter 71 71

Chapter 71 71
Chapter Seventy One

Tess POV

“I’m so sorry,” I choked out between sobs. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen… I’m so sorry.”

“Shh, Tess,” Ana murmured, rubbing my back gently. “It’s not your fault. Don’t do this to yourself.

”But it was my fault. I had put my mom in danger, and now she was lying there because of me. How could I not blame myself? How could I not feel the weight of that guilt crushing down on me?”

Ana held me tighter, as if she could sense the spiral of my thoughts. “We’ll get through this together,” she said, her voice firm despite the tears in her eyes. “We’re family. We’ll find a way.”After what felt like an eternity, my sobs began to subside, leaving me feeling hollow and drained. 

I wiped at my eyes, trying to regain some semblance of composure, but the ache in my chest remained. Ana’s presence was the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart further.

When I finally looked up, I saw that Jane was still at our mom’s bedside, her tears now more controlled but no less heart-wrenching. She wasn’t sobbing anymore, but the grief etched into her features was obvious.

The room fell into a heavy silence as my words hung in the air. I could feel the weight of what I had just confessed pressing down on me, and I couldn’t bear to meet my sisters' eyes. 

They had known about my relationship with Damien, had supported me through the confusion and guilt, but this ... .Helen's threat against our mother….was something I had kept to myself. And now, our mom was paying the price.

“Tess,” Ana finally said, her voice trembling as she spoke. She reached out, taking my hand in hers. “Why didn’t you tell us about Helen? We could have done something, we could have protected Mom…”

Her words broke my heart all over again, and I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I thought I could handle it,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I didn’t want to drag you both into this any more than I already had. I didn’t know she’d go this far…”

Jane, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up, her face pale with a mix of anger and fear. “This is Helen’s doing,” she said, her voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. “That woman is insane. She’s willing to do anything to keep Damien…and she doesn’t care who she hurts in the process.”

I could see the fury burning in Jane’s eyes, and for a moment, I worried she might storm out of the room to confront Helen herself. But then she looked at our mother, lying so still and vulnerable, and her anger seemed to falter. 

She sank back into her chair, covering her face with her hands as the reality of the situation hit her full force.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry…”

Ana moved closer, wrapping her arm around me in a comforting embrace. “It’s not your fault, Tess,” she said softly. “Helen is the one to blame here, not you. None of this would have happened if she wasn’t so obsessed and vindictive and evil.”

Jane looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with pain. “What do we do now?” she asked, her voice breaking. “How do we stop her?”

The room fell silent again as we all grappled with that question. Damien, who had been standing quietly by the door, stepped forward, his expression grim.

“We’ll move your mom somewhere safe,” he said, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his eyes. “Somewhere Helen can’t reach her. We’ll figure out what to do next, but right now, the priority is keeping her safe.”

Jane nodded, though the uncertainty and fear were still evident in her expression. “We have to make sure she doesn’t get away with this,” she said, her voice hardening with resolve. “She can’t keep hurting people just to get what she wants.”

I looked at my sisters, feeling a surge of determination despite the fear that still lingered in my chest. We had been through so much already, and now our mom was lying in a hospital bed because of Helen’s twisted obsession and cruelty. 

“We won’t let her,” I said, my voice firmer than before. “We’ll make sure she pays for what she’s done.”

Ana squeezed my hand, offering a small, encouraging smile. “We’re in this together,” she said, her voice steady. “We’ll protect Mom, and we’ll deal with Helen. But right now, we need to focus on getting Mom out of here.”

Damien nodded in agreement. “I’ve already spoken to the doctor about transferring her to a private facility,” he said. “It’s more secure, and Helen won’t know where she is. We’ll keep her safe.”

The mention of moving our mom brought a sense of relief, though it was tinged with the sadness that we even had to consider such measures. I glanced at Jane, who seemed to be processing everything, her mind working through the fear and anger that still gripped her.

“What about the police?” Jane asked, her voice more composed now. “Shouldn’t we tell them what’s happening? Get some kind of protection?”

Damien hesitated, his expression conflicted. “We can’t be sure how deep Helen’s connections go,” he said carefully. “If we involve the police, she might find out and retaliate. We need to be cautious, at least until we know more.”

Jane didn’t look entirely satisfied with that answer, but she nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. “Then we have to be careful,” she said, her voice tinged with determination. “But we can’t let her get away with this.”

Ana nodded in agreement, her expression serious. “We’ll take things one step at a time,” she said. “First, we get mom to safety. Then we figure out how to deal with Helen.”

“I’ll make the arrangements,” Damien said, his voice quiet but resolute. “We’ll get her out of here tonight.”

As he left the room to finalize the plans, I turned back to my sisters. Jane was still seated by our mom’s bedside, her hand gently stroking our mom’s hair. The anger that had been burning in her eyes earlier was gone, replaced by a deep, overwhelming sadness.

“We’ll get through this,” I said, though the words felt hollow even to me. “We have to.”