Chapter 100 - The mastermind.

~~ Ace's POV ~~Everything was beginning to make sense at that moment. Or so I wanted to believe. My head felt foggy, and my thoughts became unclear, with different assumptions. Who else could have been the culprit, if not her?I was more than confused!For over a decade, all I remembered was a five-year-old boy who drastically lost a peaceful home. The five-year-old boy who watched his once affectionate mother slowly drift away from him.And, then came the moment when a peaceful home became a war zone. A moment when someone poisoned both my father and me, and we almost died. I was still in the hospital when I heard of her arrest. My mother I mean. According to my father, she admitted she wanted to wipe the entire family out from the face of the earth. And when I asked why? I was informed she did it because she had a lover.A lover whom she cherished more than her children and family.And I believed it. Every damn accusation. Because while I was still hospitalized, I tried to give h

Chapter 101 - His mother.

~~ Brittany's POV I checked my wristwatch for the upteenth time since I arrived at the restaurant before glancing back at the entrance."What's taking him so long?" I asked as I shot Clarissa a glance behind me."I don't know, ma'am. I'll try to reach him again." She walked away, leaving me to ponder my thoughts alone. Honestly, I was so thrilled when Clarissa told me that she found out the late Sophia Brooks' father's location. And he had agreed to meet me after she offered him some cash. He was the only one who could tell me everything I needed to know about the unusual events surrounding the death of his daughter.But it was already way past the time we agreed to meet and he still hadn't arrived. I really hoped that he wouldn't just take my hard-earned money and that I wasn't fooled.Clarissa returned a while later, but there was no noticeable difference in how she looked compared to how she was before leaving earlier. Inste

Chapter 102 - Everything about his childhood.

~~ Brittany's POV ~~Silence dragged between us for what seemed like forever. As I didn't question him further, I thought he wasn't ready to reveal anything else. Or maybe he was too drunk to finish what he started.Just when I was about to give up on hearing anything else from him, he groaned, dragging himself to sit up, but he ended up leaning on his side instead."Brittany." He began. "I've messed up again." He picked his words slower than usual, almost inaudible."My mother abandoned me when I needed her the most along with my sister who was still a newborn baby. Until now, I thought I had forgotten all about the misery I went through as a young boy. But no. Seeing her again after so many years has brought me close to losing my mind." He purred, running his finger through his hair in frustration."Why does she have to appear now and turn my world upside down? She'd made me question everything I thought I knew from the beginning."A tear slipped down his eyes. Then, another, and he

Chapter 103 - The real monster.

~~ Brittany's POV ~~"Help me get my children back."I stood in front of the mirror reminiscing over the words that had kept me thinking since yesterday morning."If you had loved your children dearly as you claimed, then why did you have to make them believe the wrong thing for so many years? Their father could have..."I hadn't finished when she chipped in, "He is the real monster."For the very first time, the pain in her voice became mixed with anger that crept slowly into her eyes. And that became the end of the conversation.I didn't want to press further. So, I concluded that she was just a mother of two children filled with regrets and a will to amend her mistake.However, I failed to understand something. Why did she refer to Ace's father as the real monster? What transpired in the family many years ago that had cost the mental health of their children?The fury that burned in her eyes made it clear that whatever happened in the past didn't just happen at nature's will. Hence

Chapter 104 - Mother's instincts.

~~ Brittany's POV ~~'The emergency ward.'Those were the only words I could remember from the next text I received as I ran out of the company literally.I didn't know how I got out but I also remembered Ace running after me. His voice constantly calling out to me to slow down. He offered to ride me in his car after I had managed to tell him my auntie got involved in an accident.And whatever made me enter his car, it was because I could barely control the emotions that suddenly washed through me.As I jumped out of the car, straight into the hospital building, locating my auntie became my priority. Not bothered about the frantic steps of someone else behind me. Or the constant calls of my name as I made a turn in the hallway."Auntie," I called, hastening my steps towards her. "What happened to you? Who did this?" My eyes widened as they ran over the bandage around her arm."It was an accident.""An accident? How come? Where?" Panic filled my voice as I asked. "What about Emma?""Em

Chapter 105 - The reason behind everything.

~~ Brittany's POV ~~So many seconds passed that I lost count of how long we sat in that car, completely wordless. But it was at least better than earlier when his gaze was still piercing into mine with unsaid emotions. A look that made the hollow of my chest tighten. Ace wasn't the best person on Earth, at the same time he wasn't the worst. At that point, every wall around me cracked. Every decision I made up to this day has come back to haunt me. Every detail unjustified. My judgement could have been wrong.I had just dropped a bombshell and he didn't question me. He didn't let me know what he felt. Just this desperate feeling inside my heart that yearned for a reaction. At least a reaction that proved I was wrong. As he placed his head on the wheel, drawing more tension around us, I wondered what kind of thoughts ran through his head at the moment. Then came the moment I dreaded. The moment he lifted his head and pushed the door open, leaving me all alone in the car. I watche