Chapter 60
Beatrice’s eyes sparkled as she peeked out the window of her apartment, lips curling into a satisfied smile the moment she saw Colton’s sleek black car pulling into the driveway. She stood tall, smoothed her dress, and turned to Maureen, who was quietly playing on the carpet with her stuffed bunny.”
“See that, baby?” she said sweetly, crouching beside her daughter. “Daddy’s back. He parked outside just for us. Isn’t that
nice?”
Maureen blinked up at her, uncertain. “Really? So… Daddy is going to stay with us forever now?”
Beatrice’s smile widened. “Of course he will, sweetheart. As long as we keep being good. As long as we push Aunt Nadia far, far away.“%
Maureen’s small brows furrowed. “But… it’s not true,” she said slowly, voice trembling. “Aunt Nadia didn’t kidnap me. You were the one who hurt me, That’s a lie, Mommy… and lying is bad. You told me that.””
The smile on Beatrice’s face faltered for a brief second, but she masked it quickly. “It’s just a white lie,” she whispered, gently placing both hands on Maureen’s shoulders. “You don’t want to lose Daddy, do you?“”
Maureen’s eyes widened, her lower lip trembling. “No…“}
“Then be a good girl,” Beatrice said, her voice turning firmer. “Never say that again. To anyone. You understand me? From now on, Aunt Nadia is the bad one. Always. Got it?“”
Maureen hesitated, glancing toward the floor. “Got it…”,
Beatrice leaned back slightly, brushing her daughter’s hair behind her ears, her tone softening as if soothing a frightened kitten. “I’ve told you before, haven’t I? Aunt Nadia doesn’t love you like I do. She’s not your real family. She’s selfish. She’d take Daddy away from us if she could.”
It wasn’t the first time Maureen had heard this speech. For months–no, years–Beatrice had planted seeds in her head. Little whispers during bedtime, warnings during car rides, corrections when Maureen asked too many questions. Don’t trust her. She’s jealous of us. She doesn’t want us to be happy.
Sometimes, Maureen remembered moments with Nadia–warm hugs, stories before bed, laughter in the garden–and the memories didn’t match the picture her mother painted. Those thoughts made her chest feel heavy, like she was betraying
someone.
“But she… she was nice to me,” Maureen murmured, guilt creeping into her voice.
Beatrice’s smile sharpened, her eyes narrowing. “She was pretending, baby. People like her always pretend until they can hurt you. I’m your mother. I would never lie to you.“”
Maureen’s fingers tightened around her stuffed bunny. The guilt lingered, but Beatrice’s certainty pressed down on it like a heavy stone–leaving no room for doubt.
Maureen hesitated, then nodded weakly. “Got it.“”
The front door opened with a soft click. Colton stepped inside, adjusting his cufflinks as he walked into the living room. His expression was tired but relaxed, as if he had just rid himself of some long–standing burden.
Beatrice stood up straight. “So? Is it done?”
He nodded once. “It’s done. She’s locked in. The room’s sealed. No phone, no exits, no one allowed in Nadia won’t interfere anymore.”}
Or
out
my word.
Beatrice’s smile didn’t return immediately. She crossed her arms, feigning hesitation. “I don’t know, Colton… she hates me. We used to be best friends, but you saw her. She attacked me. What if she hurts us again?”
“She won’t,” he said dismissively, stepping closer. “She’s out of the picture. You can come back now. We can start over.”
“But why not just let her go?” Beatrice asked, her voice rising. “Let her disappear. I’m not stepping into that house unless she’s completely gone. I don’t want her shadow hanging over us.”
Colton reached for her hand, his voice softening. “Beatrice, come on. You love me, right? Just a little more time. Once we’re home, I’ll send her away. Somewhere far. Another country if that’s what you want. I swear.“}
She narrowed her eyes at him. “And the divorce?”
He paused again.
“I still need her for a few things,” he admitted reluctantly. “There are some deals with her family’s name on them. Investors tied to her legacy. I need to close them first. After that, I’ll end it.”
Beatrice clicked her tongue in annoyance but eventually sighed. “Fine. Let’s just go back home and fix everything. For good.“R Colton smiled for the first time that day, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Thank you.“N
Maureen watched them quietly from the sofa, clutching her bunny closer. “So… we’re going to be a happy, complete family now?“%
Colton turned to her and nodded. “Yes, baby. From now on, it’s just us.”
4:03 PM P now?”
Colton turned to her and nodded. “Yes, baby. From now on, it’s just us.“\
The house looked still when they arrived, the driveway quiet and the guards standing stiff near the gates. Beatrice stepped out of the car first, holding Maureen’s hand. Colton followed, chest puffed in satisfaction, ready to reclaim the future he believed he had secured.
But something felt… off.”
One of the bodyguards was pacing near the front steps, phone pressed tightly to his ear. Another guard looked visibly shaken, whispering to a third with urgency.[
Colton narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on?” he demanded.
The guards fell silent.
“Speak!” he snapped, stepping forward. “What the hell is happening?”
The man with the phone fumbled to end his call, then straightened awkwardly. “S–Sir… It’s Miss Nadia…“\
Colton stiffened. “What about her?”
“She’s… she’s not in the room anymore, sir.“}
His blood ran cold. “What do you mean she’s not in the room? I locked her in myself! Didn’t I tell all of you to watch her?!“} The guard stepped back, clearly panicking. “We did, sir! But–she… escaped. It seems she tied the bed sheets into a rope and climbed down from the balcony.”
ད་བས་དེ་དེ་དོར་དང་བཞི་་་ནང་ཁོ་དད་ ་་་་་གད་དེ་དེ་དེ་དག་ལ་དེ་ཚོད་བཅད་ཆེན་པན་དོན་པ་
