Chapter 10
Dominick finally got what he wanted. It wasn’t because my mom had a soft heart and agreed to his pleas. It was because she heard he might be the indirect reason I ended up like this and decided to confront him face–to–face.
My mom, her voice trembling with grief and rage, pointed toward the ICU bed where I lay. “Was it you? Did you push her? Did you do this to my daughter? Dominick, look at her and explain yourself!”
Dominick, his hands cuffed, stared at me lying on that hospital bed. Tears rolled down his face again. I never knew he could cry so much. I had seen him break down countless times over the past few days. How did he still have any tears left?
He cried like there was no end to it. Desperation clouded his face as he tried to lunge toward the glass, aching to be closer to me. But the officers held him back, forcing him to stand at a distance.
Seeing my frail, lifeless body, he choked out in a hoarse scream, “Wake up, Peyton! Tell me you’re faking this and that you’re just messing with me! Peyton, don’t pull this stunt on me. Do you think dying will get you rid of me? Even if you’re dead, I won’t divorce you! You hear me? I won’t let you go, Peyton!”
I figured Dominick had probably lost his mind after being locked up for a few days. Otherwise, how could he say something
Chapter 10
like that? The one who always brought up divorce in the past was him.
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My mom thought he was just putting on a show, which only fueled her fury. “You killed your own child, and you destroyed your wife! And yet you had the nerve to take Madison on a vacation like it was nothing? You don’t deserve to be called human! My daughter risked her life to save you, and you turned into the monster who killed her!”
My mother had always known the truth. Years ago, to convince her to accept my choice, I had told her about the lengths I had gone to for Dominick. I never thought this secret would come out now–when I was on the brink of death.
Upon hearing my mother’s words, Dominick looked like he had just been struck by lightning. He widened his eyes and bellowed at my mom, “She saved me? When did she save me? No! The one who saved me was-”
Before he could finish, my mom’s hand came down with a sharp smack across his face. She then snapped, “Are you out of your mind? Do you really think Madison saved you? Who do you
think risked her life searching for you through the night? Who carried you down that mountain on her back? Don’t you know? Could Madison have done that?”
Madison was soft and fragile—a woman who couldn’t even lift a bag, let alone someone’s body. When they found Dominick that night, Madison was spotless, clean, and pristine. And plenty of people could vouch that she had stayed at the foot of the mountain the whole time.
Chapter 10
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But Dominick had been so taken with Madison back then that he’d never bothered to question the details. Now that my mom had shattered his illusion, he stood there, dazed, his mind whirling as the memories surfaced.
“No… That’s impossible. It was Madison. It had to be her…” he muttered as though trying to convince himself. But his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground like he had lost the strength to stand.
My mom watched him, broken and disheveled, and closed her eyes. “After she found you that night, my daughter made a few emergency calls from the mountain. The call records don’t lie. If you don’t believe me, go check them yourself.”
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