CHAPTER FIVE

I was consumed with thoughts of my father's passing when I abruptly heard Ethan's Father.

As soon as I caught sight of Mr. Jakes, Ethan's father, my heart raced. It was clear how shocked and surprised Ethan was as his eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" Ethan's voice trembled, a mixture of uncertainty and perplexity.

Mr. Jakes looked his kid in the eye, his face cold. "I came to complete what I began,"

Ethan spoke with a mix of doubt and urgency in his words. 

"You killed Elah's father, did you?"

With a menacing glimmer in his eyes, Mr. Jakes grinned. 

"The father of your beloved Elah was at a loose end. Just like your own father, he knew too much."

I was stuck in place as I crouched down in the vehicle, the revelation coming over me like a tsunami. My father was shot by his father, not Ethan.

While speaking, Ethan's voice quivered and was tinged with rage and uncertainty.

"Why did you kill him, though?"

Mr. Jakes raised the pistol and stared emotionlessly into Ethan's eyes. He was frail and a danger to my plans. 

"Exactly as you have, Ethan."

I was suddenly drawn to a movement. The gun was taken from Ethan by his bodyguard, and his loyalty was obviously failing. Thomas suddenly appeared from the opposite side of the bush, his arrival like a chilly wind blast.

I was relieved to see Thomas because I thought he would be able to assist us get out of this crazy circumstance. But as he moved nearer, a diabolical enjoyment could be seen on his face.

Ethan begged, his voice breaking and his tone tinged with desperation. 

"Thomas, help me! Please."

Thomas' chuckle was icy and contemptuous. 

"I've been looking forward to this day, Ethan. The day when I would own everything you have. even Elah, the money and the power."

Ethan's eyes were wide with astonishment and bewilderment as his face became pale. 

"What the heck are you talking about?"

Thomas grinned as he fixed his gaze on Ethan's. 

"My real father is Mr. Jakes, Ethan. And together, we're going to strip you of everything."

As their chat progressed, my world began to spin as a result of the discovery's shock.

My mind raced as I tried to comprehend how many falsehoods and deceptions had been weaved around me.

I was in the car, a mute observer of the escalating pandemonium, as the tenseness increased. The sound of gunshots breaking the night's silence seemed like thunder to my ears. 

As I became aware that violence was exploding all around me, my pulse raced and my breathing became heavy.

There is then a pause. There was a dreadful hush that pervades everything. As I carefully got out of the car, my pulse was racing as I saw the tableau of devastation and treachery in front of me.

Blood covered Ethan's clothing, and his bodyguards were sprawled on the ground beside him. Thomas and Mr. Jakes were gone, leaving a terrifying emptiness in their wake.

I gasped for air as I stared at Ethan's dead body. A victim of the same web of deception he had woven, the man who had previously been in control of me, who had been both my captor and a part of my existence, was now dead.

I realized that the truth had finally come to light as my heart began to rush and tears started to form in my eyes. But the future's course was now more hazy than ever.

My chest was thumping as I hurried to my father's side and knee down next to him. He was gone, and there was nothing I could do to bring him back. That was the cold, hard fact. I started crying, and the quiet night echoed with my tears.

"Dad..." In between tears, I gasped out, my voice cracking with sorrow. 

I started to get determined as I sobbed because of a fire inside of me that wouldn't go out. Everything had been snatched from me by Mr. Jakes and Thomas, including my father, my feeling of security, and my faith in humanity. However, I was certain they wouldn't get away with it.

I stared at Ethan's lifeless body with my eyes watering from crying. His life was on the line as he lay there, breathing shallowly. 

The exact person who contributed to my father's passing and was responsible for this tragedy for our family was now laying powerless in front of me.

I said to myself, "I need you," with the words bearing the weight of an unpleasant reality. 

"I need you to discover the secrets he's been keeping, to find out why he wanted my father dead."

I was aware that depending on the man who had caused me so much agony for assistance was a cruel irony. But the fact was that I had no other choices. 

The only action that seemed to have the potential to bring about some sort of justice and to make them answer for the suffering they had caused my family was revenge.

As I became aware of the gravity of the choice I was making, my heart began to hurt. Ethan's involvement was risky; it had the potential to both benefit me and hurt me severely. I needed information, retribution, and a way to guarantee my brother's continuous care, but I was in a precarious situation.

I turned to face Ethan with a sad heart, his motionless figure serving as a stark reminder of how complicated the circumstances were. 

I mustered all my courage and managed to take him to the neighborhood hospital, where he would presumably be kept out of Mr. Jake's reach.

A pit developed in my gut as I watched the medical staff move him into the emergency department. My heart was pierced by the news that his prospects of life were bleak and that he had fallen into a coma. 

The one guy I needed to help me uncover the truth and exact revenge was in danger of passing away.

My heart was heavy with grief and anxiety as I stood in the hospital hallway, and I became aware that my vengeance strategy was falling apart even before it had a chance to take form. 

The path ahead was dangerous, and I was forced to face the agonizing possibility that the solutions I was looking for could always be just out of reach.