Chapter 176 A Free Man
“Wh-What are you saying?” Ararbella panicked to hear that, stepping in between, refusing the involvement of the cops with horror creeping on her face.
“There has to be a misunderstanding. You can’t take him like this.”
"Move aside, ma'am. Do not interfere with a federal arrest. We have the evidence and the warrant." the officer commanded, his hand hovering near.
But Arabella didn't move. She was a shield, standing between the handcuffs and the man she loved, shaking her head in denial as unwanted tears began to fill her eyes.
"You’re lying! You have no proof! My husband is not a murderer!"
"Arabella, stop." William’s voice was quiet, but it cut through her panic. He rested his hand over her shoulder, stiffening her whole being.
She turned to him, her eyes wide and pleading. Her lips quivered, refusing to believe in the truth before her.
"William, tell them. Tell them it’s a mistake." She whispered.
William didn't look at the police. He looked at her, his heart breaking as he saw the reflection of the ‘murderer’ in her tear-filled eyes.
He couldn't lie to her anymore, his chest constricted.
He reached out, his fingers grazing her cheek one last time to wipe the trace of the tear before the metal would claim his wrists.
"Don't interfere, Bella," he whispered. "Please. Just... let them take me."
The sound of the handcuffs clicking into place pierced Arabella’s heart. Arabella’s knees buckled, her misery overflowing in a sob, her hands wrapped around him, hugging him painfully, her tears coating his shirt.
William glanced toward the studies, where Luke stood with Peach, frozen.
Their eyes met, a silent, brotherly exchange of a decade’s worth of secrets. William gave a single, sharp nod: Take care of her.
“L-Luke… why are you watching? Stop them, tell them it’s a mistake. Please.” Arabella pulled back a little, reaching her hand out while William lowered his head in defeat, accepting this moment as his loss.
“It’s not, Bella.”
“What…?”
Luke stepped forward, catching Arabella as William was led out into the night. Her eyes affixed, watching him until he disappeared from her sight.
The second he was gone, she almost fell to her knees but Luke and Peach held her and took her back inside.
“My William isn’t a murderer, you know that, right, Luke? You know your brother. He could never hurt a soul unless he has a reason.”
“Yes, yes, I know. We will get the best lawyer and get him out of this predicament, Arabella. I promise you,” Luke whispered, exchanging a worried glance towards Peach.
Arabella lowered her head, hiding her face in her palm and let out the silent cries, praying for her husband’s safety while cursing Liyah in her mind.
“Here. Drink some water, Arabella, and calm down. William needs your support not your tears.” Peach advised gently, pouring her some water and bringing the glass near her lip.
Her gaze narrowed miserably, clutching the glass with her both hands, unwavering devotion gleaming in her eyes.
“They didn’t take away my husband, Peach. They took my world.” She whispered weakly.
“I know and we will bring him back.” Peach reassured, giving her shoulder a pat as Luke went to contact the lawyer to handle the situation immediately.
On the other hand, the interrogation room smelled of fear and cold sweat. The cops were intimidating but nothing bulged William. He refused to unshackle his tongue until his lawyer arrived.
William sat perfectly still, staring into nothingness, all on his mind was Arabella, praying she won’t be panicking too much.
‘You won’t hate me, right?’ William thought worriedly, clutching the seat with helplessness until the awfully familiar clicking of heels arrived.
It was Liyah.
She looked triumphant, dressed elegantly as a sign of her brief victory as she stood on the other side of the bars, her arms folded at her chest.
She leaned forward, the smell of her bitter perfume filling the small space that tightened William’s jaw, her shadow falling on him infuriating him.
"Look at you," she mocked, her voice low, mocking his state, "The Great William Grayson, reduced to a common criminal. All for a girl who will eventually realize she’s sleeping next to a monster."
William didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. But, the fear, the hesitation that once existed in him throughout the fear began to vanquish.
“But, I am not as cruel as you consider me to be. I’m giving you one last chance, William, my boy." Liyah enunciating, her eyes gleaming with a sick hope, holding her head high.
"I have the power to make the evidence disappear. I can claim the witness lied.”
William spared a cold glance, waiting to hear the price of it.
“But I want you on your knees. Right here, on this cold floor. Beg for my forgiveness, return the company to me, and you can go back to your little wife."
A long silence stretched between them. William closed his eyes, contemplating the words and eventually, let out a dry, hollow laugh that echoed off the walls.
"You don't get it, do you?" William asked, leaning back, a cocky smirk emerging on his lips, challenging her openly, “I burned all the boats in Cooper’s office already, Liyah.”
"In the past, you were all I had, I was just a boy. I was alone, and I was terrified of losing the only family I knew.” He leaned forward, his gaze turning dangerous that wiped her amusement.
“But today? Today, I have Luke. I have Peach. And I have Arabella. I have everyone. ‘You’ have no one, Liyah. So do whatever you want. "
"Rot then," she hissed, turning to leave, the urge to do the worse to him becoming transparent. "Enjoy the darkness, you ungrateful wretch."
"Liyah."
She paused at the door, her hand on the handle, hoping William had changed his mind. But, he finally rose from his seat.
"You’ve held that night over my head for ten years like a curse. But if I were given the chance again." William’s voice was steady, dangerously calm as he held the bars, his eyes widening with a madness he struggled to bury inside him.
“If I had to walk into that room, I’d do it with a smile this time... I would kill that motherfucker again."
Liyah gasped, her eyes widening in genuine shock.
William added, his voice a final, crushing blow. "Because some monsters deserve to stay in the ground."
Liyah fled the room, the door slamming behind her, leaving William alone in the silence. Finally, for the first time in his life, a free man.