Chapter 316: You’re A Free Man

David’s POV

The interrogation room smelled like stale coffee and desperation.

I sat there under lights that buzzed like angry bees, wrists still raw from the ropes, but I didn’t twitch.

The officer across the table looked like he’d chewed nails for breakfast…square jaw, cold eyes, voice like gravel.

“Start from the top, Hunt,” he snapped, slapping a thick file down. “Manhattan. The Dark Prince that made headlines years ago. Your little brother Justin and the role he played. I need every single detail.  Don’t leave anything out.”

I let out a long, slow exhale, the kind that empties your lungs and your soul at the same time. No more secrets. No more carrying this crap.

It’s time to finally let go.

“Fine,” I said, voice steady even though my chest felt like it was cracking open. “Back in Manhattan… When we thought that my younger brother…Justin was The Dark Prince, I was told to take the fall. My father said I had to take the blame, and destroy everything,” I paused and exhaled.

I continued seconds later. “I was just a kid. Scared shitless. So I did what he asked. I took the blame, I was even ready to turn myself in but Mr Jameson offered me a deal…one that could clear everything and save my family. I thought I was doing the right thing for my family, for my brother…so I took the deal,” I said, bowing my head slightly as guilt washed over me.

“So you causally destroyed key evidence?” The officer asked harshly.

“No. I didn't. I hid the real evidence...the weapons, the belongings of the victims, everything…in the basement of my house. They are all still there. Send your guys right now. They can haul them out.”

The officer leaned in, eyes narrowing. “So you hid evidence? You prevented justice from being served? You let a monster walk free?”

I didn’t flinch. “I was a kid. I did what my father ordered. But Rachel confessed to everything…on record. My brother and I will testify. The evidence is intact. It was all a set up…her father planned everything.”

He didn’t let up. If anything, his voice got harsher.

“We already have Miss Rodriguez’s recording. Rachel Jameson will face time as soon as she regains consciousness. Police in China have been contacted…her brother’s being detained as we speak. This was a national case back then.  So, a special team’s already en route to drag him back to Manhattan for trial. But that’s not your concern, Hunt. The point is your actions tampered with an investigation that could’ve ended this nightmare years ago. You aware how many people have gone missing…possibly dead…around the exact area where Mr. Jameson is hiding right now in China?”

My stomach twisted with guilt, but I kept my face straight. “Look… I got no fancy words. No apology that fixes shit. I just realized I was clueless. Used as a pawn my whole damn life. Mr. Jameson tampered with everything and planted it in our house. We’re victims here too. Same as everyone else. But that does not change the fact that my actions ruined everything.”

Right then, a knock cracked through the room like a gunshot. The door swung open and Norman’s lawyer stepped in…sharp suit, sharper eyes.

“Officer, my client has said enough. He was a minor, coerced by his father, acting under duress. The evidence was preserved, not destroyed. This young man has cooperated fully. Any charges would be a miscarriage of justice.”

The officer snorted. “Preserved or not, he still tampered. He goes on trial for the part he played.”

The lawyer opened his mouth to fire back, but the door banged open again. The officer interrogating me snapped to attention. The DPO walked in…tall, gray at the temples, face carved from years of bad news. Everyone saluted.

He exhaled like he’d been carrying the whole precinct on his back, flipped through the file, then looked straight at me.

“I’ve gone over everything personally,” he said. “Mr. David Hunt did not destroy the evidence. In fact, it’s going to help Manhattan close this case for good. No need to drag him to court and besides, the crime did not happen in our jurisdiction and Manhattan police are not taking any actions against him. So why should we?”

The interrogating officer stiffened. “But sir, his actions—”

The DPO cut him off, voice low but final. “There are times you look past certain things. The Hunt family are victims too. The Jamesons dragged them into this mess in the first place. Close the file. Drop the charges against David. Concentrate on the recent murders tied to Rachel Jameson and work on that.”

The room went dead quiet. I exhaled so hard my shoulders dropped.

Relief hit like a truck. My hand flew up to cover my face because the tears I’d been choking back since Holly disappeared, since we were tied up like animals, since I realized I’d carried a burden that was never mine…they crashed down all at once.

I broke. Shoulders shaking, sobs ripping out of me right there in that damn chair.

The lawyer clapped a hand on my back. “It’s over, son. Breathe.”

The DPO turned to the officer. “Prepare the papers. Get that evidence transported back to Manhattan. Now.”

The officer saluted stiffly and left.

The DPO put a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You’ve got the Millers to thank for pulling you out of this one, son. They called in a favor. You owe Orion Miller big time. Without that, you’d be facing charges…your actions, even in ignorance, heavily influenced the case.”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, voice rough. “Thank you. Seriously.”

He nodded once and walked out.

Ava helped me again? The thought slammed into me.

Maybe Holly called her, just like back then when I got released and learned Ava’s sister had been pounding the pavement, demanding they pardon me.

My heart swelled so big it hurt. “Oh my God,” I muttered under my breath. “She’s been there all along…helping me.”

I shot out of the chair and rushed for the door.

“Holly!” I yelled, voice bouncing off the station walls. I scanned the sea of officers and civilians, heart hammering. “Holly!”

Justin stepped out of another room, looking wiped but free. He saw me and grinned that stupid half-smile.

“How’d it go?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.

“Cleared. I didn’t do shit wrong, remember?”

Then because he obviously couldn’t help it…he teased me. “You sure you weren’t crying in there like a little bitch?”

I laughed despite myself. “Shut up. Have you seen Holly anywhere?”

“No.”

I pushed deeper into the crowd, pulse racing. Then I spotted Norman near the front desk.

He opened his arms wide, pulled me into a crushing hug, and slapped my back hard enough to rattle my ribs.

“David, thank God. I’m so happy you’re all safe. I got here as fast as humanly possible with my lawyer.”

“Thanks, man. Really.” I pulled back. “Have you seen Holly?”

Norman’s face shifted. “Yeah…she left with that guy she introduced as her boyfriend at the company dinner.”

Everything inside me went cold. “She left with Tyler? Did she say where?”

“No. But she was crying, David. Hard.”

My mind spun. After everything…the ropes, the gun, Rachel, the confessions…she just left? Crying? With him? What the hell happened during her interrogation? Where did she go?

I stood there frozen, the station swirling around me, when the weight of the last hour finally settled.

But I had no idea what was really tearing through Holly’s head right then.

Or where she ran off to.