All Chapters of The Past Between Us: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

I held Liam and Rose so tight my arms wouldn’t stop shaking. Rose was sobbing into my neck, her little body trembling. Liam was trying so hard to be brave, but I could feel his heart hammering against me.“I’m not putting them down,” I said, my voice cracking but loud. “If you want to shoot someone, shoot me. Not my kids.”My father didn’t lower the gun. He just looked at me like I was throwing a tantrum.“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Lila,” he said, sounding almost tired. “I gave you every chance. I tried to protect this family the only way I knew how. But you keep choosing him. You keep choosing them over your own blood.”“Protect us?” A broken laugh tore out of me. “You shot Damien. You poisoned him. You tried to have our kids taken. And now you’re pointing a gun at your own daughter and grandkids. That’s not protection, Dad. That’s you being a monster.”For a second, something flickered across his face—maybe regret. But it was gone before I could be sure.“I built eve

Marcus watched me like he already knew how this would end.I kept staring at the gun on the table between us.“You killed Elena,” I said.He didn’t even try to deny it. “She started asking too many questions. Bad habit.”My mind was spinning. Damien was waiting outside. Victoria was fighting for her life in the hospital. My father was probably already trying to buy his way out of jail.I needed more time.“What do you really want?” I asked.Marcus leaned forward. “Your father walks free. The evidence stays buried. In return, you and your family disappear. New names. New city. You never come back.”“That’s it?”He smiled. “Almost. One more thing.” He slid a second phone across the table. “Call Damien right now. Tell him you made a deal. Tell him to drop every charge against your father.”I didn’t touch the phone.Marcus’s smile disappeared. “Do it, or I send people to the hospital right now. Victoria won’t survive another visit.”My stomach went cold.I picked up the phone and dialed.

Damien stared at his phone like it had personally betrayed him.I grabbed his arm. “What do you mean he gave you up?”“He handed over everything,” Damien said tightly. “Bank records. Old contracts. The names of people I’ve used over the years. Enough to open federal investigations against me and half my company.”He started moving down the hallway. I followed.“We’re not waiting until sunrise,” he said. “We move now.”We reached the elevator when his phone rang again. He answered without slowing down.He listened for three seconds, then stopped walking.His face changed.He ended the call and looked at me.“That was my contact inside the federal building,” he said. “Your father didn’t make a deal with real agents. The people who took him are working for your mother. They’re not feds. They’re hers.”The elevator doors opened. We stepped inside.I tried to process what he just said. “So my father is with her now?”Damien nodded once. “And he gave them my mother’s location in exchange fo

I stared at the screen. The man was already reaching for Victoria’s IV. My chest felt tight. I couldn’t think straight.Four minutes. That was all we had.My mother stood there like this was just another business meeting. Calm. In control. Like she hadn’t just threatened to kill my sister while holding my son in the same room.I looked at Liam. He was still behind me, holding onto my leg. His little face was scared but he stayed quiet. He was trying to be brave.Damien hadn’t moved. His eyes were locked on the screen, jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitch.“Stop them,” I said to my mother. My voice came out rough. “Please. Just stop them first.”She tilted her head. “That depends on you. Make your choice.”I felt like I was being torn in two. Victoria had risked everything for us. She took a bullet for Damien. She helped save Liam. And now these men were about to end her life because of me.But Damien… if I let my mother destroy him, what kind of life would we have left?

The message burned into my screen.She’s already gone.I stared at the photo of the empty hospital bed, the blood on the sheets. My hands started shaking so hard I almost dropped the phone.“No,” I whispered. “No, no, no.”Damien glanced over. “What is it?”I showed him the message. His face went hard.He grabbed his phone and called someone again, speaking fast and low. I couldn’t focus on the words. All I could see was that bloody bed.Victoria had taken a bullet for us. She had finally tried to do the right thing. And now she was gone.Liam was still pressed against me in the back seat. He was quiet now, but I could feel how scared he was. I wrapped my arms around him tighter and tried not to cry in front of him.The SUV sped through the city. Damien kept making calls, giving orders. His voice stayed calm, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.We reached the hospital in what felt like minutes. The second the car stopped, Damien was out. He helped me and Liam out and we ran