Chapter 9 - VIVIAN’S LAST BETRAYALVivian had always believed she could survive anything.
She had survived poverty.
Rejection.
Loneliness.
She had learned how to smile when she wanted to scream.
How to manipulate people before they could manipulate her.
But prison terrified her.
So when Richard Vale offered freedom, she listened.
“You help me,” Richard said.
“And?”
“You disappear.”
Vivian looked at him.
“What do you want?”
“Grace.”
Vivian laughed bitterly.
“Everyone wants Grace now.”
Richard’s eyes became cold.
“She has something.”
“What?”
“Proof.”
Vivian frowned.
“What proof?”
Richard smiled.
“You don’t need to know.”
But Vivian did know one thing.
Richard planned to kill Grace.
And for some reason, Vivian suddenly remembered Leo.
The pool.
Grace jumping into the water.
The way Grace had held the baby.
Vivian had hated her.
But Grace had never tried to hurt Vivian.
Vivian had created her own enemy.
And now a real monster was coming.
At the mansion, Adrian found Vivian’s escape report.
He immediately called Grace.
“Stay inside.”
Grace frowned.
“Why?”
“Vivian escaped.”
Grace went silent.
Adrian heard Leo laughing in the background.
“Grace?”
“She might come here.”
“I know.”
Marcus was standing beside Adrian.
“We need to move them.”
Adrian looked at him.
“To where?”
Marcus smiled faintly.
“I know a place.”
Adrian didn’t trust him.
But there was no time.
They left the mansion before sunrise.
Grace sat in the backseat with Leo.
Marcus drove.
Adrian watched the road.
Then Grace noticed a car behind them.
“Adrian.”
He looked.
Black SUV.
Marcus accelerated.
The SUV followed.
“Hold on,” Marcus said.
Grace clutched Leo.
The chase began.
Adrian called police.
The SUV moved closer.
Then another car appeared ahead.
They were trapped.
Marcus turned sharply onto a narrow road.
The SUV followed.
Grace screamed as the car slid.
Marcus drove through an old gate.
Then stopped.
“Out!”
Adrian grabbed Leo.
Grace followed.
They ran into an abandoned building.
Marcus locked the door.
Grace stared.
“Where are we?”
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
“My old apartment.”
Adrian frowned.
“You kept this?”
“I said it was a long story.”
Then Vivian stepped from the shadows.
Grace screamed.
Adrian immediately moved in front of her.
Vivian raised both hands.
“Wait.”
Marcus pointed his gun.
“Bad timing.”
Vivian looked at Grace.
“I came to warn you.”
Nobody believed her.
Richard’s men surrounded the building.
Vivian whispered, “I told you.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Why?”
Vivian’s face broke.
“Because I was wrong.”
Grace stared.
Vivian looked at Leo.
“I hurt him.”
Her voice trembled.
“I know what I did.”
She looked at Grace.
“And you still saved him.”
Grace said nothing.
Vivian whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Then the windows exploded.
Everyone dropped.
Richard’s men entered.
Marcus fought.
Adrian pulled Grace behind a wall.
Vivian saw a man moving toward Leo.
Without thinking, she ran.
She grabbed Leo’s stroller and pushed it away.
A shot rang out.
Vivian fell.
Grace screamed.
Adrian looked down.
Blood spread across Vivian’s shoulder.
But she was alive.
Police sirens approached.
Richard’s men fled.
Vivian lay on the floor.
Grace knelt beside her.
Vivian looked up.
“I didn’t want him to hurt the baby.”
Grace held pressure against the wound.
“Stay awake.”
Vivian laughed weakly.
“You really are annoying.”
Grace almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Vivian whispered, “Richard has the confession.”
Adrian leaned closer.
“What?”
“Your father.”
Vivian coughed.
“The original recording.”
“Where?”
Vivian looked toward Marcus.
“Ask him.”
Marcus went pale.
Adrian turned.
“Marcus?”
Marcus looked away.
Vivian whispered:
May you like
“He already has it.”
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