Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Behind Bars, Reality Hits
Ella’s POV
This place is a living nightmare! Days locked in this filthy hellhole with these wretched women. Not quite as bad as that pigsty of a dungeon, but still terrible. They transferred me here the day after my arrest and, to make everything worse, stuck me in the same cell as that insufferable Linda. I fantasize about clawing her eyes out hourly.
"Hey, rich girl! Visitor for you. A lawyer! Want to see them?" The guard shouted through the bars, her voice as crude as her manners.
"Finally! Daddy sent someone to get me out of here!" I clapped my hands and jumped up, excitement coursing through me.
The guard barked at me to turn around, then slapped cold sliver handcuffs on my wrists before unlocking the cell. As she secured the door behind us, Linda climbed down from her bunk.
"Tell your lawyer to get your daddy to bail me out too, princess," she called. "Otherwise, I might start singing some interesting songs about his business dealings."
"Are you threatening my father? Have you forgotten who he is?" I glared at her, hoping to shut her up.
"He’s the one forgetting what I know." Linda pressed her face between the bars. "And trust me, if he leaves me here, I’ll pluck every pretty feather from your painted wings before I’m done!"
The guard shoved me down the hallway, cutting off my retort. After a humiliating strip search that felt more like a gynecological exam, we arrived at a visitation area with booth-like spaces, each containing a stool and telephone. The guard secured my cuffs to the front and pointed me toward the last booth.
I nearly stumbled when I saw who waited on the other side of the glass. He gestured for me to sit and pick up the phone.
"What are you doing here? I was told my visitor was a lawyer," I said, confused and irritated.
"If you’ve forgotten, Ella, I am a lawyer," Bruno replied calmly.
"Why are you here?" My patience was already threadbare.
"To talk."
"About what?"
"First, I want to know what I meant to you," Bruno leaned closer to the glass. "Because I loved you deeply. We’ve been together since we were teenagers. Then suddenly, I discover you’re engaged to Draven and ’pregnant.’ I even thought the child might be mine, but you weren’t pregnant at all. So please, out of consideration for the affection I’ve always had for you, tell me the truth. What did I mean to you?"
"Bruno, you’re nice. It was fun being with you," I said honestly. "But you don’t compare to Draven. He’s a powerful Alpha with his own empire. And you’re just... you. Cute but boring, still working for daddy. It’s time you moved on because as soon as I get out, I’m marrying Draven."
"My Goddess, you’re delusional!" Bruno laughed."Let me update you on the world outside. That little boy you kidnapped? He’s Draven’s biological son. Apparently, Draven and Caroline met at a masquerade ball years ago. They didn’t know each other’s identities, and Caroline got pregnant. They only discovered the truth days before the kidnapping."
"What are you talking about?" I screamed.
"They had sex at the party without knowing names or seeing faces behind their masks," Bruno continued. "Caroline got pregnant and, by some twist of fate, ended up working for her baby’s father."
"That’s impossible," I whispered.
"But there’s more," Bruno’s expression turned smug. "Caroline is pregnant again with Draven’s child. Actually pregnant this time!"
"You’re lying!" Tears of rage burned my eyes. "It’s all lies!"
"No, Ella, it’s true. The best part? Draven and Caroline got married and are moving into the pack house."
"I don’t believe you!" I screamed uncontrollably. The guard burst into the room, threatening to throw me in solitary if I didn’t calm down. I immediately shut my mouth. The punishment cell was another level of hell I couldn’t face again.
"I brought something for you," Bruno pressed a newspaper against the glass. There it was in black and white – photos of Caroline and Draven, her hand over her stomach, his arm around her waist. The headline trumpeted their wedding and impending new addition. When I finished reading, Bruno took the paper back.
"They’re very happy together," he said softly. "Alpha Draven deserves someone decent like Caroline. She’s wonderful."
"Shut up!" I hissed. "I don’t want to hear any more."
"Fair enough. I just needed to confirm what I meant to you. Thank you for your honesty. Now I can move on, knowing how truly unhinged you are, how little you’re worth."
"You’re weak, Bruno. A mama’s boy she still controls. I would never have seriously considered you."
"Again, thank you for the clarity." His voice turned cold. "I hope dungeon reforms you into something better than this."
As he prepared to leave, a thought occurred to me. "Wait, Bruno. Since you’re so well-informed, have you heard from my parents? My father hasn’t sent any lawyers."
Bruno’s smile vanished. "You don’t know?"
"Know what?" Dread pooled in my stomach.
"Despite everything, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this..." He hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.
"Just tell me!"
"Your father is a fugitive, wanted for numerous crimes including the murder of Alpha Draven’s parents."
"But that was an accident," I protested.
"The car was sabotaged. Your father also contacted rogues to orchestrate the attack. Your father bribed an investigator to conclude the investigation as an accident."
"What else are they accusing him of?"
"Kidnapping the boy, abducting Caroline..."
"My father kidnapped her?" This was news to me.
"Yes. You didn’t know?"
"Obviously not!"
"Why did you get involved in this mess, Ella?"
"I just wanted to marry Draven," I admitted. "I wasn’t going to hurt the kid. I just needed leverage to make Draven marry me, then I’d return him to his mother. Is there anything else?"
"You really don’t think..." Bruno sighed heavily. "Yes, there’s more. Your father is accused of massive fraud at Thorne Enterprises, using forged documents, and... this will be hard to hear... he’s also charged with murdering your mother."
"WHAT?" I screamed, jumping up and knocking over the chair.
The guard returned, and Bruno explained what he’d just told me. She must have felt some pity because she simply righted the chair, told me to control myself, and left again. I collapsed onto the seat, overwhelmed by pain, anger, and disbelief. I knew my father didn’t love my mother, but kill her? This was too much.
"Your mother’s body was found Tuesday in a shallow grave on a farm outside town," Bruno continued gently. "She was suffocated with a plastic bag. They found your father’s fingerprints on it. She’d been dead about three days when they found her."
"How could he do that to her?" Tears streamed down my face.
Bruno pressed another newspaper against the glass. An entire page detailed my father’s crimes, complete with photos of the crime scene where my mother was found. When I finished reading, Bruno removed the paper. I felt hollowed out, utterly alone.
"I’m sorry, Ella," Bruno’s voice softened. "I don’t think your father is coming to help you. Honestly, you brought this on yourself. I’m sorry it ended this way." He paused, studying my blank expression. "This is goodbye. After today, I’m removing you from my life completely. Good luck. I hope this experience changes you for the better."
I barely registered returning to my cell. I functioned on autopilot. Linda immediately bombarded me with questions, demanding details of my visit. I ignored her completely, lying on my bunk and turning to face the wall.
Everything I thought I knew had crumbled. My father, a murderer. My mother, dead by his hand. Draven, married to that bitch Caroline, with a son and another baby on the way. And me? Abandoned, alone, locked in a cell with no one coming to save me.
I needed to think. I needed a plan. This couldn’t be how my story ended.