Hung for a Lie

I looked up in shock at Giselle Thornwall. “That’s the only thing my mom left to me…” My daughter, Palmer Thornwall, looked annoyed. “So what is it going to be? If you’re not going to do it, Lucy stays up there.” “I’ll do it!” Lucy Thornwall hadn’t had a drop of water in three days. If she wasn’t released soon enough, she could very well die here. With tears in my eyes, I removed a tag necklace from my neck and carefully handed it to Palmer. “Palmer, this is all I have left of your grandmother. Keep it safe…” Palmer glanced at the necklace in my hand, her voice dripping with disdain. “It’s the hideous thing ever. I don’t get why Theo would ever want this.” Theo? I couldn’t believe that Theo was behind this. Before I could wrap my head around the whole thing, Theo Castell emerged from outside. “Palmer!” “Theo!” Theo’s presence perked Palmer up. She darted toward Theo with a spring in her step. Throwing herself into his arms, she said, “What took you? I’

I paused for a second before smirking. “Well, Theo got what he deserved.” “Smack!” It was another slap on my face. However, Giselle wasn’t the perpetrator this time. It was my daughter, Palmer. Palmer stared at me with hostility, as if I were her sworn enemy. She said, “You’re the reason Theo is in the hospital. You’re a bad man! You’re not my daddy! As for this…” While talking, Palmer pulled out the plushie from me and snipped it to bits with a pair of scissors. “I’m done with this, too!” I watched blankly as Palmer stomped on the shredded plushie, my heart broken to pieces. The plushie was my gift to Palmer after the car crash. Her words of appreciation were still fresh on my mind. Palmer uttered, “I’m sorry, Daddy. I shouldn’t have wandered off. It’s my fault you got hurt protecting me.” She added. “You’re the best daddy in the world! No one beats you! I’ll treasure this plushie the way I treasure you, Daddy!” The past and present blurred together before my e

In the hospital, Giselle and Palmer persuaded Theo to get a physical examination. “You just came out of your kidney transplant, and Dean dragged you out. You’re bound to be struggling.” Looking a bit caught out, Theo cleared his throat and said, “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. I don’t need a doctor.” Since Giselle wouldn’t let it go, Theo got up and pushed both her and Palmer out of the ward. “Now, now. Stop worrying about me. You’ve been looking after me for days. You should head home and get some proper rest.” Palmer pouted. “But Theo, it’s been a while since you read me a story…” Hiding his annoyance, Theo picked up a brand-new storybook and pressed it into her palm half-heartedly. “Have a read for now. Once I’m all better, I’ll read you the story.” Palmer stared blankly at the book of fairy tales. Her mind drifted back to when she couldn’t read yet. She used to often pester her father to read this very book to her.It didn’t matter how busy he was. If she wanted, he woul

Sitting inside the Maybach. Giselle floored the accelerator and sped toward the villa. The strong push of the acceleration threw Theo back, and he let out a yelp. “Giselle, I’ll apologize to him. Just easy behind the wheel, please?” Palmer slapped duct tape over Theo’s mouth in disdain. “Shut up, monster!” Terrified to pull the tape off, Theo let out a whimper before buckling up and holding the handle for dear life. Soon enough, the villa was right in front of them. The moment they arrived, Giselle dragged Theo out of the car and into the villa. “Click!” It was brightly lit inside the estate. Staring at the empty room, Giselle pursed her lips and cried out loud, “It’s me, Dean. “I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have sent Theo to handle Lucy. I was wrong to force a kidney transplant on you. I never should have scattered your mother’s ashes, too!“It’s all my fault. Please come out.” The villa was silent, only broken by the trio’s ragged breathing. A minute later

The location was East City Hospital. “Who gave me the call earlier?” The moment Giselle stepped into the hospital, she scoured the hall for the nurse who had contacted her. “You must be Dean Thornwall’s wife.” An average-looking nurse, a file in hand, emerged. Eyeing the nurse warily, Giselle replied, “I am. Are you the thief who called earlier?” The nurse rolled her eyes and handed the file to Giselle. She said, “Here are the details of the person who was brought in. Please verify the information and see if it matches him.” Giselle took the folder and flipped through the pages. This was Dean’s personal information for sure. However, it made no sense that Dean would die from burn injuries. “Yes, these are my husband’s details, but I don’t believe for a second that he’d be burned for no reason. You must have gotten the wrong guy.” Shaking her head, the nurse turned on her heel and led the way. “Come with me.” As they walked, the nurse explained, “The cops said