Chapter 51 up
“This can’t be real… tell me this is a wrong number!”
The phone slipped from Mrs. Selena’s hand and hit the floor with a dull crack. Her body began to tremble, her breathing turning shallow, as if all the air in the living room had suddenly vanished. She clamped a hand over her mouth—and then her scream broke loose, long and piercing, shattering the silence that had always wrapped the house.
“Selena… my child…”
She staggered, nearly collapsing.
“What did you just say?” Mr. Selena rose from his chair, his face flushing red. “Prison? You said Selena is—in prison?”
Mrs. Selena nodded hysterically, tears streaming down her face. “They said… detained. Kidnapping. God… God…” She struck her own chest, as if trying to stop a heart that was beating far too fast.
Mr. Selena snatched up the phone and redialed the number that had just called. “I’m her father,” he said harshly, forcing his anger down. “Explain everything. From the beginning. Now.”
Minutes later, the call ended. His hand was shaking as he lowered the phone. His jaw tightened.
“Clark,” he said. The name shot out like a bullet. “This is his doing.”
Mrs. Selena looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “He promised,” she sobbed. “He promised he would protect Selena… protect our grandchild…”
Mr. Selena grabbed his jacket. “We’re going there. Now.”
“Sir, you don’t have an appointment—”
A hard shove sent the receptionist stumbling back. The door to Clark’s office flew open with a deafening slam.
“Clark!”
Clark stood up from his chair. His expression shifted instantly when he saw the two figures in the doorway—red eyes, rigid bodies, rage laid bare.
“Sir… Ma’am…” Clark stepped forward. “I—”
“Silence!” Mr. Selena slammed his palm onto the desk. “Do you think we came here to hear your excuses?”
Mrs. Selena was sobbing, but her words were sharp as blades. “Where are your sweet promises now, Clark? You came to our house, looked us in the eye, and said you would take responsibility! You said Selena was safe with you!”
Clark swallowed hard. “I never intended—”
“Never intended?” Mr. Selena let out a short, bitter laugh. “Our daughter is in prison! Humiliated in front of the public! And you stand here in a neat suit, talking about intentions?”
Clark opened his mouth, then closed it again. No words felt appropriate. No sentence could undo what had happened.
“You know,” Mrs. Selena continued through her sobs, “Selena trusted you. She’s pregnant. She’s fragile. She—”
“She kidnapped someone,” Clark cut in, his voice low but firm.
Silence slammed into the room.
Mr. Selena stepped forward until his face was inches from Clark’s. “Watch your mouth.”
Clark didn’t retreat. “I won’t twist the truth anymore. There is evidence. There is a victim. And I will not—”
SMACK!
The slap was brutal. Clark’s head snapped to the side. The sound of skin against skin echoed through the room, louder than anything else. Heat flared across his cheek, but he stayed standing. He didn’t raise a hand. He didn’t strike back.
Mrs. Selena screamed, “That was for Selena!”
She rushed forward, pounding Clark’s chest with her fists. “You destroyed my daughter! You drove her mad with half-promises and half-love!”
Clark lowered his head. “If this slap could turn back time—”
SMACK!
A second blow followed, harder, filled with raw hatred.
“Don’t you dare speak as if you’re the victim!” Mr. Selena shouted. “Do you know what promises mean to our family?”
Clark lifted his face. His eyes were wet, but his gaze was honest. “They mean responsibility. And I failed.”
Mrs. Selena collapsed into a chair, sobbing uncontrollably. “My child behind bars… my grandchild will be born with a stain…”
Clark stepped closer, stopping at a respectful distance. “I will make sure that child is protected. Legally. Financially.”
Mr. Selena laughed bitterly. “Oh, now you talk about the law?”
He pointed at Clark’s reddened face. “You think money can erase this shame?”
“No,” Clark answered quietly. “Nothing can.”
Silence fell again—heavy, suffocating. Clark’s breathing steadied, like someone bracing himself for whatever punishment might come next.
Mr. Selena shook his head, his eyes glassy with anger and exhaustion. “We trusted you,” he said, his voice breaking. “We entrusted our daughter to you.”
Clark closed his eyes. Every word struck harder than the slaps.
“I’m not running,” Clark said softly. “I’m not washing my hands of this. I’m standing here, ready to accept whatever I deserve.”
Mr. Selena stared at him for a long moment, then took a step back. “Do you know what’s cruelest?” he said coldly. “Not the prison. But the truth that Selena did all this because she was afraid of losing you.”
Clark opened his eyes, his breath caught in his chest.
Mr. Selena pointed at him, his hand trembling with emotions he could no longer contain.
“You destroyed our daughter’s life—and now you want to walk away clean?”