Tears finally spilled down Victoria’s cheeks, but they were different now. Not tears of a concerned mother, but the pathetic, desperate tears of a woman who knew her reign was over.
Her lips parted, her chest heaving as panic fully consumed her.
“I… I did it for us,” Victoria whispered finally, her voice breaking, shattering the illusion of their perfect marriage. “I was scared. You gave her everything in the will. You were going to leave me with nothing if I didn’t secure my future. I only used small amounts. I just wanted her out of the way so we could have our own life, our own children.”
The sheer cruelty of her logic broke the last chain of restraint inside Jerry. He stepped back in disgust, realizing that survival sometimes means looking the devil in the face and recognizing the person you shared a bed with.
“It was never love, Victoria,” Jerry said, his voice unsteady but ringing with absolute finality. “It was only ever control and greed.”
Suddenly, a small voice interrupted the heavy atmosphere.
“That is my mother.”
Everyone in the foyer froze.
Jerry turned around.
Jonah had walked out of the study and was standing at the top of the staircase, pointing a trembling finger down at Victoria.
Victoria gasped, taking a staggering step backward, her eyes widening in a horror that surpassed even the fear of prison.
“No… no, it cannot be,” she whispered, shaking her head violently.
Jerry looked between the boy and his wife, total confusion momentarily overriding his anger.
“Jonah, what are you talking about?”
