Chapter 134 Broken Bonds
DAVID
“You see,” Peter said, his grin widening, his voice dripping with venom, “sometimes the monsters aren’t hiding under your bed. They’re sitting at the dinner table.”
Elowen’s face froze, her breath catching in her throat. She looked at Peter, then at her father, who had shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Western’s usual air of defiance was nowhere to be seen; his gaze was fixed on the cold cement floor, his shoulders slumped like a man carrying the weight of his sins.
Peter’s voice turned colder, sharper. “Where do I even begin? Should I start from before you were born, Elowen? Do you even know who your father really is? He kidnapped your biological mother. She never left his side never had the chance to because he made sure of it until the day she died.”
Elowen stepped back as if Peter’s words were blows, her trembling hand pressed against her mouth. “What are you talking about?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Peter smirked, his eyes glinting with satisfaction as he glanced at Western. “Your mother… She was from a wealthy merchant family. Your father kidnapped her, dragged her into this life, and locked her away. Didn’t you ever wonder why she never stepped outside the house? It’s because she couldn’t. He imprisoned her, Elowen. Your father made sure of that.”
“No…” Elowen shook her head, her voice cracking. Her eyes darted to Western, searching for denial, for an explanation. Instead, she saw his jaw tighten, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Peter leaned forward, his tone laced with mockery. “She was his prisoner, forced to live as his wife. And when he couldn’t have Mrs. Williams, he found your mother instead. They looked similar, didn’t they? That’s all it took. I was there that night, you know. I helped him.”
“You’re lying!” Elowen cried, though the crack in her voice betrayed her doubt.
Peter chuckled darkly. “I wish I were. But I remember it all too well. She was at a bar young, beautiful, and full of life. She lit up the room just by smiling, friendly to everyone she met. I watched her for hours before making my move. When she wasn’t looking, I slipped a little something into her drink. The moment she passed out, I dragged her to your father. He didn’t waste a second he made her his prisoner, his possession, his wife.”
Elowen’s legs gave way, and she crumpled to the ground, her hands shaking as she clutched her chest. Tears streamed down her face, hot and unrelenting. “No… no…” she whispered, rocking slightly.
Peter’s tone turned bitter. “I even gave her a chance to escape once. You were just a baby. Your father was away, and I told her to run, to leave you behind and save herself. But she wouldn’t. Do you know what she said? She said she couldn’t abandon you. She knew what your father was capable of. She stayed to protect you, Elowen. She chose to stay in hell for you.”
Elowen buried her face in her hands, her sobs echoing off the basement walls.
“But it didn’t save her, did it?” Peter continued mercilessly. “She found out your father was planning to kill Desmond Williams. She tried to run, to warn the Williams family, but she didn’t get far. I was there, Elowen. I saw it. Your father caught her. He kicked her so hard she couldn’t even stand. And then…” Peter’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if savoring the words, “I watched him drown her. Watched her struggle, watched her beg for her life, until she stopped breathing.”
Elowen’s head snapped up, her tear-streaked face filled with horror. “No!” she screamed. “You’re lying! You’re lying!”
Peter only smirked. “And what did your father tell you when you came home from school that day? That she died of a heart attack?”
Western finally raised his head, his face pale, his eyes wide with panic. “Elowen, don’t listen to him. I… I didn’t…”
But Elowen didn’t hear him. She lunged at her father, her scream primal and filled with pain. Before anyone could stop her, her teeth sank into his ear. Western’s agonized scream filled the room as blood spurted from the wound, staining the collar of his shirt.
“Get her off him!” I barked at the guards. They rushed forward, pulling Elowen away as she thrashed and sobbed, her voice cracking with anguish.
“It’s not my fault!” Peter shouted, a devilish grin still plastered on his face. “I gave her the chance to run! She chose to stay—to protect you from this monster!”
Western clutched his bleeding ear, groaning in pain, his head hanging low. He couldn’t even look at his daughter.
I stepped forward, my voice calm but icy. “Western, you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison. You’ll never see the sun again. And tomorrow, when the news breaks, the world will see the monster you truly are.”
Turning to Peter, I added, “And as for you, your daughter will be here tomorrow morning. She’ll finally see what kind of man her father really is.”
Peter’s smirk faltered slightly, but I didn’t wait for a response. I gestured for Janet to follow me, my steps echoing loudly as we ascended the stairs. Behind us, the sound of Elowen’s broken sobs and Western’s groans faded, replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence.