Chapter 250: Revealing the Truth
Wendy’s POV
Georgia’s whole body trembled in front of me. I could see the weight of what I’d just said settling on her shoulders: her brother’s death, the fire, everything tied together. We thought it was just a drunken accident, a random tragedy just like what the court had declared. Now she knew better, we would finally know the truth.
She held my hand, her voice soft but trembling. "T-Tell me what really happened back then, if you can... but don’t push yourself. Your recovery is much more important. Me and Katie are staying with Nick, and he hired bodyguards for us so we’re safe. Your statement can wait."
I managed a faint smile. "It’s okay, dear. I feel much better now. The pain relievers they gave me are strong. This isn’t something we should put on hold."
"Hold on—if you really want to say it now, let me record it so I can give it to Oliver, so you don’t have to repeat yourself." She fumbled for her phone, eyes darting with urgency.
"I was putting the girls to sleep, reading them bedtime stories, when I heard a glass breaking downstairs and a loud thud, like something was thrown at a glass window. Remember when you were young and a branch of the tree in the backyard hit one of the windows during a huge storm? It sounded like that, and I instantly had a bad feeling in my gut.
I quickly took the girls’ hands and told them to hide. Katie already knew what to do and where to hide; we trained her in emergency cases like this, so I went downstairs and I was right. The window in the foyer was broken, the glass shards were on the floor, and there was a big rock on top of it. The door was already open.
I reached for my phone, but before I could call anyone, someone jumped on me, and my phone flew out of my hand. I saw three people, probably men based on the build of their bodies, but they were masked.
The one who attacked me asked where ’the girl’ was, so I assumed he was talking about Katie. I said no one is home but me. But the man said I am lying, that he saw the girls go inside the house earlier. So it means they were watching us.
I kicked him, and I was able to get away. I grabbed a vase and hit him on the shoulder. I ran to the kitchen and took the cleaver. I was able to slash the arm and leg of one of the men; he was bleeding really badly.
The other two men came in. One of them said that they will spare me if I give them the girl. And might even give me a share of what they will get from you once they ask for her ransom. Said that with what David owes their boss, her daughter should be a good trade-off.
No one has to die if only I would do what they are asking for. Saying they’ll make sure the little girl is safe, they just need the money back since their monthly share was cut off, and now they just want the lump sum since their boss had lost his patience.
I told them I’d rather die than hand over the child to them. That’s when they attacked me and stabbed me. I was able to cut the one who stabbed me, and I was able to step back. But the other one hit me with something I didn’t see. I got dizzy a bit, and he kicked me, forcing me to talk.
But then I was able to grab a frying pan and hit him on the head, and that’s when I was able to run. I knew the girls were safe in their hideout, so I locked myself in the pantry. I heard them arguing, saying their boss will be upset if they don’t bring anything or anyone back.
I think one of them went upstairs because after a few more minutes, one said that no one was home other than me. All rooms are empty, the man said.
Then, the alarms on the windows I had already activated when I locked up for the night rang off. So, I assumed, the girls opened a window upstairs. Either they were trying to get help and tried to get out of the window, or Katie had intentionally opened it, knowing it would trigger the alarm.
That’s when I heard the men panic. Then I heard them running around before it turned silent. I smelled something burning, and then there was smoke coming out from the bottom of the pantry door.
I opened the door, and the men were gone. The ground floor was on fire, so I quickly went upstairs, but I was in so much pain and was already dizzy. There was so much blood coming out of my stomach, no matter how much I pressed on it, blood was still coming out.
Everything went black. Then I woke up in the hospital and saw Vicky. She said the girls were fine and that they were with Ella." I met Georgia’s eyes, my voice low but steady. "That’s what happened."
Georgia’s face drained of color as I finished, her fingers trembling around her phone. For a moment, I worried she might break down right there beside me. But then... something shifted. I saw her shoulders square, her jaw tighten, and a fire ignite in her eyes.
She pressed the phone to her chest and let out a shaky exhale. "They’re not getting away with this. Not again. Not ever."
The weight of her words hit me, and for the first time since David died, I felt something like hope stir in my chest. The young girl whom I used to take care of has now grown into a young, strong woman. I am just so proud of her.
"Georgia..." I reached for her hand, squeezing it despite the IV tugging at my arm. "You don’t have to carry this alone. This fight isn’t just yours."
Her gaze locked on mine, fierce and unyielding. "Yes, I know. They came into my home, hurt you, and tried to take Katie. And if what you heard is true, they had a hand in my brother’s death. I swear, Wendy... this ends with me. With us."
There was no fear in her voice, only conviction. The same girl who used to cling to me after nightmares was gone. In her place was a woman who’d been broken, cornered, and now was ready to bare her teeth.
She wiped at her eyes quickly, as if she couldn’t afford to waste another second on tears. "Nick and Oliver will know what to do. We’ll build the case, we’ll use your statement, and I’ll make damn sure they pay for every single thing they’ve done."
For the first time since waking, I felt the heaviness in my chest lift just a little. Watching her, I knew this fight wasn’t over—and with Georgia and Nick together at the front of it, those men didn’t stand a chance.
They might have failed to determine the true killer before, but now that they will fight on the same side, I really feel that this is it. We will be able to get justice for David, for me, and for Nick, who was wrongly accused.
I gave her hand one last squeeze and whispered, "Your brother would be proud."
Her lips trembled, but she didn’t cry this time. Instead, she nodded firmly, eyes blazing. "Then I’ll make sure justice finally finds them."
Georgia’s grip on my hand tightened suddenly, and her eyes darted toward the door as if making sure no one else was listening. When she turned back to me, her voice was low but steady.
"Wendy... did David ever tell you anything about Irene and Frank? Maybe you heard them talking or David mentioning something about them over the phone? Anything at all?"
The question caught me off guard. "Irene?" I echoed, searching her face. "What about her? Aren’t they overseas after stealing the company’s money?"
Georgia reached into her bag and pulled out a crumpled sticky note, the kind you’d peel off in a rush. She flattened it out on the edge of my bed with trembling fingers. "This. A nurse just handed it to me in the waiting room. It’s from Irene."
I scanned the messy handwriting, my heart kicking hard at each word. ’Help. They got Frank. CCTV. I’m not alone.’
"She’s back," Georgia whispered, the words spilling out like a confession. "Irene’s back in the country. She said she’s being watched, and Frank’s been taken. She told the nurse it was a matter of life and death and not to call the police—that I’d know what to do because I have a lawyer."
My stomach churned as I stared at the note. "Oh God..."
Georgia’s voice hardened. "You said those men talked about a boss. Did David ever mention Irene? Or Frank? Anything about debts, payments, or who these people really are?"
I closed my eyes, trying to summon fragments of old conversations. "David never said much outright. But... a few months before he died, I overheard him on the phone. He mentioned Frank’s name—he sounded worried, desperate. He kept saying something like ’they’ll come for us if we don’t fix this. We can’t have them get a share,’ I didn’t understand it then. I thought it was business talk. But now... I heard one of the men mentioned their monthly share was cut off... So, could it be related?"
I watched her lift her chin, her whole body bristling with energy. "If Irene risked everything to send me this, then she’s in serious danger. We have to move fast. No more waiting."
She tucked the note back into her bag and stood, eyes blazing. "Nick and Oliver will have this in their hands today. And I’m going to make sure Irene and Frank don’t end up like my brother without revealing the truth."
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