Chapter 219 DIRTY CONFESSION.

Chapter 219 DIRTY CONFESSION.


AVERY’S POV:

My eyes locked onto her.

“Esmeraya,” I said, steady and cold. “How nice of you to join us. I never imagined you’d grow the audacity to pull something like this off.”

Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Always so composed,” she said, like it was a curse. “Let’s see if that composure holds when I present you with Baron’s body. Did you like the gift I sent ahead? I thought the head alone would be enough to get your attention.”

Baron.

My stomach lurched. The bile burned the back of my throat, but I didn’t show how this affected me. I couldn’t. Not now.

This bitch killed him.

“I had an interesting conversation with one of your doctors,” I said, ignoring the fire clawing its way up my chest. “Apparently... you’re not the real Esmeraya. Not Valerio’s daughter. You’re just a nameless, powerless little fraud who saw a window and slipped through it. You stole a face—one that could buy you respect, money, and a seat at the table. Strip that mask away, and what’s left?”

Her eyes flared.

“I’ll tell you—nothing,” I finished. “A voice no one listens to. A ghost.”

Before I could breathe, she was in front of me, her hand landing across my face. The crack echoed in the warehouse like a gunshot.

“Shut the fuck up!” she snapped.

Blood filled my mouth. I turned my head and spit it onto the concrete, then looked back up at her with a crooked grin.

“Touch a nerve?” I rasped. “You hated your old life so much, you had to wear someone else’s skin just to feel important. That’s pathetic.”

Her hands curled into fists. I watched her fingers twitch toward her scalp—gripping her own hair like she was about to rip it out. She was unraveling. Good.

It was working.

But then she said something that made my pulse skip.

“You know what?” Her voice trembled with rage. “Everyone else will say this was excessive, but I don’t care. I can’t stand you. I have always hated your face and guts. And now, I hate that stupid thing you're carrying.”

She pointed to my stomach.

For the first time, fear took over me.

Please... not my baby.

She knelt down, leveled her face with mine. “They’ll understand this was necessary. You’re like a hydra, Avery. Every time someone cuts off a part of you, more of you comes back stronger. But not this time.”

“I’ve danced with death before,” I whispered. “And I survived. You think I’m scared of you? You’re a coward wearing someone else’s name.”

She straightened, eyes burning. “Then let’s see what happens when I sever your body first. Let’s see if death still wants you.”

Esmeraya began pacing like a predator toying with prey. The others stayed silent, watching.

“You know,” she said, voice lowering, “I was so happy when I heard you died. It felt like karma had finally come full circle. After everything you did—to me, to my mom, to Chase... it felt fair.”

The ground beneath me felt like it shifted. How did she know Chase? By mom, did she mean Lyra?

“What?” I breathed, confused. My chest tightened.

She kept going.

“But then the real punishment started. The house was taken. The money dried up. Mom was locked away like garbage. And me?” Her voice shuddered. “I ended up working in places I wasn't meant to. That restaurant... that disgusting, rat-infested kitchen. Until one day, I saw the news. Some girl had been in a crash, clinging to life. The photos showed a mangled face, barely recognizable.”

She turned, meeting my eyes.

My mouth went dry.

“I saw an opportunity,” she whispered. “And I took it.”

The silence roared in my ears. It finally clicked.

My voice barely made it out. “...Astrid?”

She smiled, slow and cruel. “Yes, sister.”

My world shattered.

The one I’d spent years, resources, and sanity searching for... the one I believed had changed, the one I’d grieved—

Had been in front of me this entire time. She has been my destruction and instigator of my downfall.

Astrid. My sister.

My body locked, frozen between disbelief and a bone-deep ache that made my breath shaky.

Oh, of course. Any fruit that drops from Lyra will always be poisoned.

“I went to visit Mum one day,” Astrid said, her voice deceptively light, “and she pitched this... mind-blowing idea. Everything shifted after that. She gave me the coordinates to the stash she buried years ago, introduced me to her old plastic surgeon, and I had my entire face redone to look exactly like Esmeraya.”

Now it all made sense. The difference in hair, eye color, height and attitude. But, how did no one notice such significant changes even down to her body structure?

She smiled, as if proud. “After recovery, it was simple. We had someone switch me out with the real Esmeraya. That girl never saw it coming. And naturally, the world ate up the miracle survival story like sweet candy. People are so gullible. Even Valerio. Even the doctors.”

“Wow.” I shook my head, disgusted. “I have to give it to you both. I’ve seen desperation before, but this... This is psychotic.”

She only shrugged. “We killed the real Esmeraya. Not like she had a chance. She was almost dead anyways.”

She leaned in, so close I could feel her breath against my skin.

“And that’s why I’m going to take you out myself. Despite what they want. They’re too slow—too cautious. I like efficient. Fast. Permanent.”

I swallowed, but my voice didn’t waver. “So, how did you manage to fool Ryan? He’s smart. You shouldn’t have been able to fool him.”

Astrid smirked, rolling her eyes. “Ryan was lonely. Desperate for connection. Allies. I gave him Valerio’s territory.”

“You mean stole Valerio’s territory,” I corrected coldly. “And Wilder—your father—he loved you, even after everything. He was ruined because of your mother. Have you even bothered to look for him? Find out what happened to him?”

She laughed. “Wilder always chose you. Even when he knew you were picked from the trash!”

“I was kidnapped. Your mother kidnapped and used me.”

“You should’ve stayed dead,” she hissed. “I would’ve looked after Sea. I would’ve carried the Blackwood name with pride. But you came back. And even when Axel backed off—for whatever reason—you still held on. You clung to the legacy like a parasite. Ryan’s goal was to  rebuild it and I was there for the power."

"Well, I didn't see much rebuilding been done. It was ran to the ground."

"Let's say he woke up one morning and had a change of heart. His mission became to destroy anything that has been connected to Blackwood."

"And that wasn't a red flag?"

"I don't care as long as my spot is secured."

"All your focus is on seeing me as a competition. You have a major inferiority complex, Astrid."

"You had the audacity to start a business. Build it from the ashes. Gain territories. Wasn’t it enough that you made us use Altherio to clean out the old rats? You also outmaneuvered Harrington.”

She breathed hard.

“And I still don’t know what’s in those creepy stuffed animals you sell, but whatever it is—it’s working. The table is threatening to go back to you. No matter how hard we prove that we're a better option, everyone seems charmed by you.  I hate that it’s you. I hate that it’s always you.”

I tilted my head. “So that’s what this is. You’re angry because you’ll never be me. And neither you nor your mother will ever be able to build what I built even with your change of face and identity.”

Her hands shot out and grabbed my throat, nails digging in. “I should rip out your lying tongue right now,” she spat. “I’m sick of you. And your husband. And this thing growing in your stomach!”

Her eyes twitched, and she gritted her teeth. “Why hasn’t Ryan released the blackbox files yet? Why haven’t he and Aki—”

She froze.

There it was.

No, I needed to hear the name she was about to blurt out and it reminded me of the video..

She tried to cover it, but it was too late.

“What’s your relationship with Akira?” I asked, hoarse. “How does she fit into this?”

“Enough talking.” Her voice dropped several octaves. “It’s time to end you. I've invested so much in tailing you and your associates waiting for you to take a careless step. It wasn't easy getting Baron, your men and the drugs. Especially with your new Italian allies. Now, that the drugs are in my hands, I'll get the Italians on my side after you're gone. That would be a good expansion for Ryan and I."

She snapped her fingers.

A man stepped forward and handed her a knife.

My blood ran cold.

She turned the blade in her hand like it was a toy. Her eyes settled on my stomach.

“Oh,” she breathed, “I can see it now. I’ll carve that little bastard out of you like spoiled meat. I wonder what it’ll feel like—your blood, your screams, the way your body will twitch when I pierce through skin and muscle and into that kicking womb.”

“No,” I whispered, shuffling backward. “Don’t—”

She advanced slowly, eyes wild.

“They’ll say I went too far. But I’ll tell them it was for the best so that we can all move on.”

“No!” My voice broke. “Please, don’t touch my baby—”

She raised the knife high—her face twisted in glee—and with a sudden, brutal cry, she plunged her hand down in a stabbing motion—