The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 76

Chapter 76: [76 – Betrayal and Salvation]
After leaving a bloodied and bruised Daniel in the interrogation room, Elijah had no purpose of staying at the police station so he finally decided to leave. Leaving the police station, Elijah drove aimlessly through the city’s streets.

He had spent the whole night at the police station for getting Daniel arrested and then waiting for hours to confront the man who tried to harm the woman he loves. The same man whom Elijah had considered to be his uncle, a part of his family even though they were not related by blood or by law.

His eyes burned with tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. His mind was a chaotic mess, a storm brewing inside him with the images of Daniel Thompson, the man he had considered an uncle flashed behind in eyes. The images of the unwavering kindness and support that Daniel had showed him all his life, flashed in front of his eyes like movie flashbacks only to shatter like a fragile piece of glass.

Like his trust.

Elijah could not believe how a man whom he trusted so implicitly, considered him to be a part of his family could commit such horrendous acts.

Daniel had always been there for him, always encouraging him, he had been like a father figure to him. All the good memories that Elijah had of Daniel, now felt twisted into something dark and sinister after the revelation of his crimes and the indifferent attitude that he was displaying after getting arrested. The surety that he had that he would walk out of this without getting punished even after all those proofs being in the hands of law.

That nonchalant attitude disturbed Elijah, shattering the trust that he had on Daniel. It also gave rise to a deep seated fear inside him that had Elijah fearing for Seraphina’s safety. What if Daniel tried to do something again? What if he tried to hurt Seraphina again?

Elijah’s heart ached with betrayal and fear. Every mile that he drove felt like he was trying to outrun the truth, but it clung to him like an unbearable but unavoidable burden. The streets that were usually so familiar to him, now seemed unknown and unwelcoming. He had no destination in mind, he did not know where this route was going to take him. He had no plan.

The only thing that was going on his mind was that he just needed to escape this reality that was so unfamiliar and so hurtful. Even if it was only a temporary solution, it did not matter.

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While Asher was looking for clues, going through the information they had on Elijah’s cases, Blake Anderson, and Evelyn Jones, Seraphina did not sit idle either. She went back to her mansion, the one whose address Elijah did not know of.

Once there, she went to her secret room where she had kept her own research files on each of her enemies. She spent the next few hours there trying to look for something substantial that would help her to reach a conclusion.

She found a couple of photographs in those case files and stuck them onto her wall, right in the center because she needed to put all her focus on sorting this mess that she had overlooked earlier believing that it was not of true importance. She was for sure regretting her decision now.

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After hours of mindlessly driving around the city, Elijah found himself outside Seraphina’s mansion. The only place he knew he would find the peace that he needed right now. It was selfish of him to come looking for her when she might not have recovered from the incident that happened yesterday.

But his mind lost the war against his heart and late that afternoon, Elijah arrived at Seraphina’s mansion only to find that it was locked and Seraphina was not there. He panicked fearing that something must have happened to her so he immediately took out his cell phone and called her.

Only when Seraphina answered his call that Elijah felt a wave of relief wash over him but it did not eliminate his fear completely. His hands trembled, the image of a scared Seraphina flashed in front of his mind causing a tremor to pass through his body.

The minutes that it took Seraphina to reach back home, felt like years to Elijah. Her eyes widened with concern when she took in his disheveled appearance.

“Elijah, what happened?” she asked, her voice soft yet urgent as she ran up to him, grabbing him by his arms. Without a word, Elijah stepped closer and pulled her in his embrace. Resting his chin on top of her head, he tried to hide the tears that rolled down his cheek.

He had often found himself questioning that how did Seraphina become so important to him in such a short time but he never was able to find an answer. And right now that after the scare he finally had her in his arms again, Elijah realized that it did no matter that how it happened. What matters is that it happened.

The stayed like this for a few minutes before Seraphina pulled back only to guide him inside her house, and on the couch. Her touch, her hold, gentle but firm as she pulled him inside.

Seraphina noticed his bloodied and bruised knuckles. So after making him sit on the couch, she walked away for a moment, only to return with a first aid kit in her hand.

“Let me see your hands,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Elijah had not even noticed the cuts and bruises on his hands, that were the result of punching Daniel continuously and then punching a wall at the police station in frustration earlier. Seraphina cleaned and bandaged his wounds with meticulous care, blowing at his wounds in between like one would do that to a child.

As she worked, the dam holding back Elijah’s emotions finally broke. He slumped forward, burying his face in his hands.

“I can’t believe it, Seraphina. Daniel -” he gulped hard, feeling choked up on emotion, ” the man whom I believed to be a part of the family, he was behind all of it,” he choked out between sobs. “How am I supposed to face Mia and Aunt Amelia now? How do I tell her that the man they both love and trust is a monster?”

Seraphina sat beside him, pulling him into a comforting embrace. She stroked his hair, whispering soothing words as he cried. For the first time, she let her guard down completely, showing Elijah a side of her that he had never seen before. She was no longer acting right now, or pretending to be concerned for him.

In this moment as she held Elijah close to her, Seraphina was genuinely concerned for him.

“It’s going to be okay, Elijah,” she murmured even when she knew that she was going to hurt this man again by revealing in front of him the truth about his family members and every other person he considered to be his family, “We will get through this together. You’re not alone.”

Elijah clung to her, his tears soaking her shoulder. He had always prided himself on being strong, on being able to handle anything life threw at him. But tonight, he felt like a child again, lost and vulnerable.

“How did I not see it?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “How come I never noticed that this was his true, evil face?”

“Sometimes, the people we trust the most are the ones who can hide the darkest secrets, Elijah.” Seraphina replied, she was talking not only about Elijah’s family but herself as well. After all she was going to betray him one day as well, “It’s not your fault, Elijah.” she tried to assure him.

They sat there for what felt like hours, Seraphina’s presence was like a balm to Elijah’s shattered spirit. Eventually, exhaustion overcame him. He had been awake for so long, he stayed at the police station the whole night. The physical and emotional exhaustion had become too much to handle.

Which is why, when Seraphina guided him to her guest room, Elijah did not protest and went along with her without saying a word, or protesting against it. She made him sit on the bed and poured for him a glass of water while Elijah removed his shoes, his socks and his belt before collapsing on the bed, his body heavy with fatigue.

Seraphina handed him the glass of water and asked if he needed anything. And right now the only thing that Elijah needed was, “You.”

“What?” Seraphina questioned to which Elijah responded by saying, “I just, can you stay with me till I fall asleep. I only need you to be by my side right now.”

Seraphina smiled. Without a word, she climbed the other side of the bed and slid closer to Elijah. “Try to get some rest.” she said, pulling the blanket over them and entwining her hand with him.

Elijah nodded, his eyelids already drooping. As he drifted off to sleep, the weight of the night’s revelations momentarily lifted. For the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to let go.