Chapter 117 After Everything

Chapter 117 After Everything

I went to see Patricia.

Adrian didn't know. Nobody knew except Dr. Kim, the prison psychologist who arranged the meeting.

I told myself I was going for closure. To hear whatever Patricia had to say and finally put this behind me. To prove to myself that she had no power over me anymore.

But really, I was terrified that she knew something. That there was some threat I hadn't anticipated.

The Metropolitan Correctional Facility was an hour outside the city all gray concrete and razor wire. I went through security, was searched, had my phone confiscated.

Dr. Kim met me in the lobby. "Mrs. Wolfe, thank you for coming. I want you to know that this meeting will be monitored. There are guards outside the room. You're completely safe."

"What does she want to tell me?"

"She wouldn't say. Only that it was important you hear it from her."

Dr. Kim led me to a small room with a table and two chairs. Patricia was already there, wearing prison orange, hands cuffed in front of her.

She looked older than she had at sentencing. Thinner. More fragile.

But her eyes her eyes were still sharp.

"Emma. Thank you for coming."

I sat across from her, keeping the table between us. "I have five minutes. Say whatever you came to say."

Patricia took a breath. "I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm not asking for anything except that you listen. Can you do that?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes. You are." Patricia looked down at her cuffed hands. "Emma, I did order your kidnapping. Everything the jury convicted me of I did it. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you anymore."

The admission shocked me. After months of denials, after maintaining her innocence through trial and sentencing now she was confessing?

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know the truth. All of it." Patricia's voice was steady. "I blamed Adrian for Sophia's death. I convinced myself that he'd caused the accident somehow. That he'd wanted her dead so he could move on. And when he married you someone who looked exactly like her it confirmed everything I believed."

"So you tried to have me killed."

"Yes. I paid Robert and Helen. I planned every detail. I wanted Adrian to suffer the way I'd suffered. To lose someone he loved." Patricia's eyes filled with tears. "But Emma, I was wrong. About all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Sophia's death really was an accident. I've spent months in here, going through everything every detail of that night, every piece of evidence. And I finally accepted the truth: Adrian didn't cause it. Sophia was driving too fast in the rain. She was upset after their fight, not paying attention. It was a tragic accident. Nothing more."

I didn't know what to say.

"I destroyed so many lives because I couldn't accept that," Patricia continued. "I destroyed Helen, who loved Adrian and got manipulated into helping me. I destroyed Robert, who's dead because of me. I nearly destroyed you and Adrian and Lily. And for what? For revenge against someone who didn't deserve it."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Patricia met my eyes. "Because you came to sentencing and said I threatened you. That I told you 'this isn't over.' And Emma, I need you to know it is over. I'm not planning anything. I'm not going to hurt you or your family. I was angry that day, lashing out, but I didn't mean it. There's no plan. No threat. It's over."

I wanted to believe her. Wanted to feel the relief that should come with those words.

"How do I know you're not lying? How do I know this isn't another manipulation?"

"You don't. You have to decide whether to trust me." Patricia leaned forward. "But Emma, I'm going to die in this prison. I'll never breathe free air again. I'll never see my family. I'll never have anything except these four walls. What reason would I have to lie? What could I possibly gain?"

"Peace of mind. Knowing I'm still afraid. Still looking over my shoulder."

"Is that what you think of me? That I'm that cruel?"

"You tried to have me killed while I was pregnant. So yes. I think you're that cruel."

Patricia flinched. "You're right. I was that cruel. But Emma, months in prison months of having nothing but time to think it changes you. I've had to face what I really am. What I did. And I'm" Her voice broke. "I'm so sorry. I know that doesn't fix anything. I know you'll never forgive me. But I am truly, deeply sorry for what I did to you."

Tears were streaming down both our faces now.

"I wanted you to know that," Patricia said. "I wanted you to know that it's really over. That you can stop being afraid. That you can go home and have your baby and raise your family without looking over your shoulder. Because I'm not coming for you. Not now. Not ever."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I have nothing left to lie for." Patricia sat back. "Emma, I lost everything. My stepdaughter. My husband. My freedom. My life. All I have left is the truth. And the truth is: I was wrong. About everything. Adrian didn't kill Sophia. You're not a threat to her memory. You're just a woman who fell in love and got caught in my revenge. And I'm sorry."