Crime And Punishment
Chapter 231: Crime And Punishment
Savannah
If someone had told me a few months ago that this same living room—the one that once smelled like grilled meat, laughter, and cheap beer—would turn into a battlefield, I would have laughed in their face.
Back then, this house had hosted a barbecue for Chloe and Dean. Music had played. Uncle Jace and Alyssa had danced. Drinks had flowed. People had smiled like we were a normal, functional family.
Now?
Now it smelled like blood, rage, and something rotten that had been festering for years.
“Jace, take that girl and get out of my house!”
Julius’s voice cracked through the room like a gunshot. His finger was extended, shaking as it pointed directly at Paula. His face was red—veins bulging, mouth bloodied from the punches he’d taken earlier, eyes blazing with the kind of fury that felt unhinged.
“I do not want to see her, nor you, anywhere near my property ever again!”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Jace’s voice was calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that came right before something snapped. “And neither am I,” he continued. “We’re staying right here.”
Julius let out a sharp, humorless laugh, like he couldn’t believe the audacity of what he was hearing.
“You’re in my house,” he said, spreading his arms wide. “On my property. I can shoot you and say it was self-defense, Jace. I’m warning you.”
The threat was delivered so casually it made my stomach drop.
I swallowed hard.
My pulse was loud in my ears, each beat echoing like a warning siren. I could feel Roman beside me, but even his presence couldn’t fully anchor me. The air felt tight. Suffocating.
Mom stepped forward suddenly, her movements sluggish, like her body was carrying a weight her mind could barely process. Exhaustion radiated off her in waves—physical, emotional, soul-deep.
“Enough,” she said sharply. “Enough! Both of you!” Her voice cracked, but she pushed through it. “What is wrong with you?” she demanded. “Fighting like a bunch of children!”
Roman’s men, who had been restraining both Jace and Julius, finally released them. The second their grips loosened, the tension in the room doubled instead of easing.
Julius rolled his shoulders, his jaw locking so tight I thought his teeth might crack.
“Get your boyfriend off my property, Flora,” he snapped. “Or I won’t be responsible for my actions. You divorced me. So you no longer have a home here.”
Mom didn’t even look at him. Instead, she turned to Jace, her eyes glassy, red-rimmed, pleading.
“Let’s go,” she said softly. “Jace, please. Let’s leave.”
For a brief second, I thought he might agree. Then Jace shook his head.
“No.”
That single word landed like a death sentence.
And somehow, deep in my bones, I knew that was the moment everything crossed the point of no return.
“I’m not leaving, Flora,” Jace said. “Not until one of us dies.”
Mom gasped.
“I swore to avenge my daughter,” he went on, his voice gaining force, vibrating with years of suppressed rage. “And if I can’t do that—if I fail her again—then I’d rather not be alive at all.”
“Jace!” Mom cried.
But he didn’t stop.
“I’ve watched from the side for years,” he said, stepping forward. “I’ve watched him hit her. Scold her. Break her down. Treat her worse than people treat their servants.”
My chest constricted.
“When Savannah was born,” Jace continued, “I wanted to take my daughter with me because I knew what kind of monster I had for a brother.”
His eyes shifted then. They hardened when they landed on Mom.
My stomach flipped violently.
I knew—I knew—whatever he was about to say wouldn’t be gentle.
“But you refused, Flora,” he said coldly. “You said Savannah was your daughter too. You told me I’d always be welcome in her life. You promised me you’d protect her from him!”
Mom’s lips trembled.
“You begged me not to take her,” Jace went on. “You said Alyssa already loved her baby sister. You said ripping her away would destroy your family.” He let out a bitter laugh. “That was emotional blackmail, Flora.”
The words hit like literal slaps.
“Now look at her,” he said, gesturing vaguely in my direction. “She was treated horribly for years. Years. All because of a decision you made!”
Roman’s arm tightened around my waist—just slightly. Just enough to remind me I wasn’t alone.
I hadn’t realized I was crying again until a tear slipped down my cheek and landed on the back of my hand.
“My own child called me uncle,” Jace said hoarsely. “For years, Flora. And not once did you imagine how that felt. How it tore me apart.”
Mom shook her head, tears spilling freely now.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just… I did what I thought was best for her. I thought she’d have a better life if she grew up in a complete family.” Her voice broke. “What kind of life would she have had with you? Without a mother by her side?”
“She would have grown up just fine! I would have raised her on my own!” Jace hissed. “She wouldn’t have been through any of this!”
“I second that.” Julius’s voice cut in, dripping with mockery.
We all turned to him.
He was smiling. Blood smeared his mouth, his knuckles bruised, his eyes alight with something dark and amused.
“I’d have given anything to never know that girl,” he said. “But sometimes, beautiful things come from ugly situations.”
Then he laughed.
Something in me went cold.
“You bastard!” Jace roared. “Why didn’t you just be a man and settle your issues with me? Why involve my daughter? You’re a coward! A rotten piece of shit!”
Julius only smirked wider. But before he could speak, someone else beat him to it.
“Are you done yet?” Paula drawled suddenly, yawning as if she were bored out of her mind. “Because if you are, we can finally move on to the next phase.”
Every head turned toward her.
“Which is?” Roman asked sharply.
She smiled. “Crime and punishment.” Her gaze locked onto Julius. “He was part of the gang that murdered my father,” she said, her voice suddenly hard. “They ruined my life. Destroyed my home. Left me and my brother with nothing.”
She leaned forward.
“I’m only here because I want justice.”
Julius laughed. “You’d have to meet The General for that,” he said mockingly. “And you’d be dead long before you got within a hundred feet of him.”
He smirked, smug.
“His men would put you down like the dirty little animal you are. Just like he did your father.”
“Julius!” Roman snapped. “Have you no heart at all?”
Julius turned to him slowly, studying his face with unsettling interest. “Has anyone ever told you how much you look like your father, Roman?”
The room seemed to tilt.
The meaning behind those words settled heavily in my chest, pressing down until breathing hurt.
Paula laughed softly. “Is that so?” she said. “Then I’ll start with you Harts first.”
Everything happened at once.
She sprang to her feet, her movements fast and precise, and suddenly there was a gun in her hand—aimed straight at where Jace, Mom, and Julius stood.
Alyssa screamed. “She’s got a gun!”
Roman shoved me back instantly, his body moving in front of mine, shielding me completely. My heart slammed against my ribs as panic exploded through me.
From the corner of my eye, something clicked.
Just as I was wondering where she got the gun from. I noticed one of Roman’s men… His waistband was empty.
The other man drew his weapon immediately, aiming at Paula. “Put the gun down!” he shouted.
Paula smiled. “No.”
Then she fired.