Chapter 4 - The Walls Close In
The silence that followed my words was so heavy it seemed to vibrate.
David stumbled back,
his face turning a sickly shade of gray in the candlelight.
Maggie’s mouth hung open,
the "grief" on her face dissolving into raw,
unfiltered terror.
"Adrianna?"
David stammered,
his hands shaking.
"You're... you're awake?
But the pills..."
"The pills are currently being analyzed by the State Bureau of Investigation,
David,"
I said,
stepping off the bed.
"Along with the dashcam footage from your SUV."
Marcus Thorne stepped out from behind the dressing screen,
holding a stack of legal documents.
"And I have the freeze orders for all your offshore accounts,"
Marcus added.
"The ones you were planning to access using your wife’s 'expired' thumbprint."
David looked toward the door,
his instincts screaming for him to run.
But the 'doctor' was already blocking the exit,
handcuffs gleaming in the low light.
Two more officers stepped out from the walk-in closet,
their weapons drawn but lowered.
"David Solomon,
you are under arrest for attempted murder,
conspiracy,
and corporate fraud,"
one of the officers stated.
"Maggie Solomon,
you are being charged as an accomplice to attempted murder and financial theft."
Maggie let out a screech,
turning on her son like a trapped animal.
"This is your fault,
you idiot!"
she screamed at David.
"I told you the dosage was too small!"
"I told you she was smarter than you!"
"Be quiet, Mother!"
David roared,
his charming facade completely shattered.
"If I'm going down,
you're coming with me!"
They began to argue right there in the bedroom,
hurling insults and accusations at each other,
revealing the rot that had been at the center of their relationship all along.
It was a pathetic display of cowardice.
"Take them away,"
I said,
feeling a sudden,
overwhelming wave of disgust.
As they were being led out in handcuffs,
David stopped and looked at me one last time.
"You think you’ve won?"
he hissed.
"You're still the mother of a mute freak."
"You'll spend the rest of your life alone."
Owen stepped out from the hallway then,
standing tall beside Whitney.
"I'm not mute,
David,"
Owen said,
his voice clear and steady.
"And I'm not a freak."
"I was just waiting for you to leave."
The look on David’s face at the sound of Owen’s voice was worth every tear I had ever shed.
He looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
The police dragged him away,
his curses echoing down the hallway until the front door slammed shut.
I walked over to Owen and knelt down,
pulling him into a hug.
"You did it,
sweetheart,"
I whispered.
"He's gone."
"We're safe now,"
Owen replied,
and for the first time in seven years,
he smiled.
The house felt lighter,
as if a dark cloud had finally moved on.
But I knew that the road to recovery was just beginning.
I had a company to clean up,
May you like
a son to heal,
and a life to rebuild from the ashes of a lie.
