Chapter 13 - THE HOUSE WHERE EVERYTHING BEGAN
My childhood home still stood on the South Side of Chicago.
The white paint had faded.
The blue front door was chipped.
And the wooden porch sagged slightly beneath years of rain and snow.
But I recognized it instantly.
I remembered sitting on those steps with my mother.
Eating popsicles in the summer.
Watching thunderstorms roll across the neighborhood.
Waiting for a father who never came home.
Now I stood across the street with Ethan beside me.
He stared at the little house.
“This is where I lived?”
“For six months,” I whispered.
He looked at me.
“And you lived here too?”
I nodded.
“For years.”
He reached for my hand.
I took it.
Federal investigators had obtained a warrant to search the property.
Nathan waited with us outside the perimeter.
For once, he wasn't issuing orders.
He was letting the authorities do their work.
A forensic technician carefully removed the third porch step.
Underneath was a small metal container.
Inside were several documents and a sealed digital storage device.
Investigator Brooks looked relieved.
“We have it.”
But before anyone could celebrate, a black SUV appeared at the far end of the street.
It stopped abruptly.
Two people stepped out.
Victoria Drake.
Julian Mercer.
My blood ran cold.
Police moved immediately to intercept them.
Victoria froze when she saw the officers.
Julian tried to return to the vehicle.
But the street was already blocked.
Within seconds, both were detained.
Nathan stared at the woman he'd buried eight years earlier.
For a moment, he looked almost unrecognizable.
“Victoria.”
She smiled bitterly.
“Hello, Nathan.”
He shook his head.
“Why?”
Her smile disappeared.
“You were going to destroy everything.”
“Everything?”
“Our money. Our businesses. Our future.”
Nathan looked toward Ethan.
“You used a child.”
Victoria's face hardened.
“Don't pretend you were innocent. You built the empire.”
“And you used it to hurt people.”
She laughed coldly.
Then her gaze landed on me.
“Bella Carter.”
I stood straighter.
Victoria studied my face.
“You look like your mother.”
I felt fury rise through my chest.
“Good.”
Her expression changed.
“Because she was braver than you.”
I took a step forward.
“No. She was brave enough to fight you while protecting two children.”
Victoria's smile vanished.
Police escorted her toward a waiting vehicle.
But before she disappeared, she turned back.
“There's something you still don't understand.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
She looked directly at Nathan.
“Hannah didn't die because she was sick.”
My stomach dropped.
Victoria smiled.
“She died because she finally found out who killed Samuel Carter.”
May you like
And then she named someone none of us expected.
“Marcus.”
