Chapter 110

Chapter 110
VERA'S POV
It started raining hard that evening while we drove home. Jack and Nathan had gone to search for Malone, but they couldn’t find him, and it got too dark to keep waiting around in the graveyard. 
A police report had already been made in case things got worse. I didn’t know how to describe what I was feeling. The pain inside me was loud, so loud that even Hannah’s voice beside me sounded like extra noise in my already noisy head.
From the moment she told us Malone was missing, I felt like throwing up. A sharp pain started in my lower stomach, and I curled up in the backseat, dropping my face to my knees. Hannah sat next to me, trying to calm me down without waking her sleeping baby. Timothy sat quietly on Jessica’s lap in the front seat, both of them watching me through the mirror with sad eyes.
When Max pulled the car into the driveway, I had to blink many times just to see clearly and carefully get down. Hannah was now talking to someone on the phone, telling him I would be okay and not to worry too much about me. She urged him to focus on finding Malone. I could tell from her voice that it was Jack she was talking to.
I didn’t know where my handbag was, which meant my phone was buried somewhere inside it. I wasn’t in the right state of mind to start looking for it.
My legs moved on their own, and before I realized it, I was already holding the front doorknob. I had locked this door myself in the morning before we left. No one came back during the day. So why was it unlocked?
Still confused, I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. Everything in the parlor looked fine, nothing seemed out of place. I moved to check the kitchen, and it was just how we left it. I let out a deep breath I hadn’t even known I was holding.
But just as I shook off the bad thoughts, I turned back into the parlor and stopped dead in my tracks.
A heavy footstep echoed upstairs. My eyes shot to the staircase, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. A cold chill ran down my back, and goosebumps rose on my arms.
If there’s one thing my parents taught me, it’s that in real danger, you don’t even find the voice to scream. You just freeze. You can only tell the story after you’ve survived it, and even then, the memory will shake you.
I stared up the stairs and saw the one person I thought I’d never see again: Prince Kenneth. His eyes gleamed with wickedness.
But that wasn’t even the worst part. Malone was tied to one of the dining chairs, a rag stuffed in his mouth, his eyes wide with tears. Kenneth had a gun pointed to his head.
How had I not noticed that one of the dining chairs was missing?
“Hey there!” Kenneth’s voice sent a cold wave through me.
Even in my nightmares, I never thought I’d hear him again. He was supposed to be rotting in jail! How did he get out? My lawyer had warned me not to underestimate what money and connections could do. Clearly, I hadn’t listened.
“Oh, how much I missed you, darling Vera.” He laughed, a cruel, evil laugh that reverberated through the room.
I swallowed hard and tried to stand tall. He wasn’t supposed to have this kind of power over me anymore. Hadn’t he done enough damage already? And now he was pointing a gun at our—my son’s head? Surely, he wouldn’t shoot Malone. But how could I trust a man who had already broken the law just to get revenge?
“You miss me, right?” He moved the gun away from Malone’s head and slowly pointed it at me.
Strangely, I felt braver than ever. But I had to be smart. My son was still in danger, and I couldn’t let him get hurt.
“You came for me. Let him go. Do whatever you want to me,” I said, though my voice shook more than I wanted.
“Sorry, hun,” Kenneth replied with a sharp glance toward the door, someone was trying to come in.
I prayed Hannah and Jessica wouldn’t enter, but it was too late. They stepped inside, and their faces froze in fear. Someone gasped behind me. Tim ran to my side, his little eyes staring at the terrible scene in front of him.
“Hello, Hannah. Long time no see,” Kenneth said casually. “Please, lock the door behind you. God has brought us all back together like one big happy family. Don't you think so?” He laughed again and moved the gun away from my face once Hannah locked the door.
“I know you’ve all missed me, even if you won’t admit it,” he continued, walking over to untie Malone. “Sure, I made mistakes, but you’ve all judged me like saints.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I said quietly. “Don’t drag other people into our mess. Don’t use Malone to get back at me. He’s your son too!”
Kenneth finished untying Malone and turned to me with a wicked grin. “Is that supposed to make me spare them? Nah. You know I’ve got more surprises coming.”
I pulled Timothy closer as Kenneth reached into his waistband and pulled out another gun. He handed it to Malone, then yanked the cloth from his mouth.
“Sweetheart,” Kenneth said, now talking to Malone, “it’s always been me and you against this world, right? This woman left us. She chose another man. She loves Tim more than she loves you. These people? They don’t care about you. They were just using you.”
He directed Malone to point the gun at me.
What was this monster trying to do? Make my son kill me? Was he that desperate to ruin all our lives?
“There’s no pain like watching someone you love kill the person they love even more. Show her how much she’s hurt you. Show her what it’s like to suffer,” Kenneth said.
Malone’s hands trembled as he held the gun. My heart broke into pieces. I prayed he could see through the lies.
“Don’t listen to him, baby,” I whispered. “I love you, and I always have.”
Kenneth’s smile grew wider, feeding off our fear like a predator enjoying the hunt. And I stood there, unsure if the next second would be my last.