Chapter 36 – The Truth Unfolds

Mannie’s POV

I sat in the back of the police car, still holding Dominic’s jacket around me. My legs were pressed together, my arms wrapped tight around myself.

The warehouse behind me now swarmed with officers. Clarissa was already in cuffs, her angry voice shouting nonsense that no one listened to.

But I wasn’t looking at her anymore.

My eyes were fixed on the police van just a few feet away. The big screen inside showed a live video call.

And on that screen, sitting side by side with a tablet in front of them—were my boys.

Jay and Nate.

“Captain,” Jay said again in that calm, smart voice that made my heart swell, “we have more proof.”

The police captain leaned closer to the monitor. His face was serious now, but you could tell he was impressed.

Nate, who sat beside Jay with his sleeves rolled up, pointed to a file open on the screen.

“She stole my mom’s fruit knife,” Nate began, “on the public bus two days ago. We traced her fingerprint from the blade handle—she wore gloves, but she slipped once. We also found scratch marks on the inside of her purse, likely from the knife.”

“What?!” one of the officers gasped from the side.

Nate tapped the tablet screen again. A blurry image showed Clarissa’s hand reaching into Mannie’s bag during a bus ride. “She destroyed the camera on the bus afterward. But we got this frame from the driver’s dashcam footage.”

The police captain nodded slowly. “Go on.”

Jay took over. “The driver that helped her delete the footage is her secret lover. He’s not just a driver. He’s someone she’s been meeting privately for a long time.”

Another officer blinked. “Wait—she cheated on her husband?”

“Yes,” Jay replied without hesitation. “For years. But she didn’t plan to kill him at first. She wanted a divorce.”

“Evan didn’t agree,” Nate added. “He started giving her less money. She couldn’t take it. She needed a reason to demand more—alimony, property, the businesses. So she waited.”

Jay’s eyes narrowed. “But the final push happened last month.”

Nate’s voice dropped slightly. “Evan bailed out his side chick—the one who caused Clarissa to lose her unborn baby years ago. Clarissa couldn’t take it anymore. She snapped.”

There was silence.

You could hear a pin drop in that van.

Even the police officers outside had turned toward the screen, listening.

“She killed him,” Nate said firmly. “And she buried the woman—the side chick—in the bathtub of the apartment Evan bought for her.”

Gasps filled the space.

“She used Mom’s knife,” Jay said, “and tried to make it look like a jealous woman’s revenge. Someone bitter. Someone poor. Someone like Mom.”

I felt my throat close.

Even though I already knew… hearing it laid out like that by my own children—it still made my hands shake.

“She framed my mom,” Nate said, his small voice steady. “But she made mistakes.”

Clarissa screamed from the back of the police car. “LIES! They’re lying! They’re just kids!”

But no one looked at her.

All eyes were on the screen.

Even the police captain leaned forward again and spoke softly.

“Is the body really in the bathtub?”

Jay nodded. “Yes, sir. The water pipes haven’t been used in weeks. The body is wrapped in black plastic. We tracked the utility usage of the house. It stopped two days after Evan’s death.”

“And you’re sure it’s her?”

“Positive,” Nate answered.

The captain turned to his men. “Send a team to the Blackwood Apartment Complex. Room 803. Now.”

Officers rushed to follow the command.

Clarissa’s screaming turned to sobbing.

Then silence.

And just like that… it was over.

I couldn’t stop the tears that fell down my cheeks.

Not from sadness.

From relief.

My name was clear.

The nightmare was over.

My children had saved me.

The police captain walked over to me as I sat in the backseat, still shaking. He looked at me kindly.

“You’ve got some very special kids,” he said gently.

I wiped my face quickly. “They’re just… curious.”

“No,” he said with a smile. “They’re brilliant.”

He gave me a respectful nod, “If they are ever interested in entering the force. We will welcome them with open arms.” He said and walked away.

I turned to the side so Dominic—who was still speaking to an officer down the lot—wouldn’t hear any of this. He hadn’t heard the screen. He hadn’t looked inside the van. He didn’t know.

And I needed to keep it that way.

For now.

My babies had done enough.

They didn’t need him involved.

---

Later that night, a calm officer offered to drive me to the house. I was still wrapped in Dominic’s jacket. My body was sore, but my heart was full.

The moment I stepped into the house, the noise hit me.

“Mom!”

Eight voices screamed in unison.

They rushed me from every corner of the room—arms open, feet flying.

Sophie and Lily wrapped around my waist. Zane and Adam grabbed my hands. Tera and Jay circled my back, and Nate just stood there, staring at me with those sharp, searching eyes.

“You’re really okay?” Jay asked, almost in a whisper.

I nodded, smiling. “Thanks to you two.”

“You mean us two,” Zane said, puffing his chest.

“Hey!” Lily pouted. “We kept the secret too!”

“I didn’t even tell the guard your name!” Sophie beamed proudly.

I laughed through my tears.

“I know. You all did so well.”

I bent down and hugged them all tightly. My arms stretched as far as they could go, pulling all my babies close.

But just as I was about to stand, Tera grinned slyly.

“Mom... why were you wearing a man’s jacket?”

I blinked.

“Uhm...”

“And why did that scary handsome man hug you like he was going to melt?” Sophie asked, giggling.

Jay raised one eyebrow. “You were acting all lovey-dovey, weren’t you?”

“I was not!” I gasped, face heating up.

“He kissed you, didn’t he?” Nate asked with narrowed eyes.

“What?! How do you know that?!”

“He smelled different,” Nate said simply, “and his scent is on your mouth.”

My jaw dropped.

The kids burst into laughter.

“Mom’s in love~!” Zane sang.

“She’s going to marry him and we’ll have to call him Dad!” Lily added, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Eww, no!” Jay and Adam shouted together.

“Okay, that’s enough!” I said, flailing my arms as they danced around me.

But I couldn’t help laughing.

For the first time in a long while, I felt light.

Safe and happy.

-------

Just as I sat on the couch to breathe, a knock came at the door.

A police officer peeked in, smiling.

“Just wanted to say,” he said, “your boys are something else. Their logic, their calm, their speed... I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “They get it from their father... wherever he is.”

The officer nodded. “Well, wherever he is, he should be proud too.”

He left.

I looked down at Nate and Jay.

They were both playing with the tablet again, quietly whispering about the last bug they had planted in Clarissa’s phone.

“You two...” I said softly, shaking my head.

They both looked up.

“Yeah?” Nate asked.

I opened my arms again. “Come here.”

They walked over slowly, then melted into my hug without another word.

And in that one moment—with all my children safe, whole, and teasing me about love—I finally knew...

This storm was over.

And we had won.