Chapter 56
He turned Lilly to face him, his gaze falling on the tears that stained her cheeks. With a tenderness born of deep care, he wiped them away, hislips brushing her forehead in a soft kiss.
"Why are you stopping me?" she asked, her voice fragile,strained by emotion.
"Because you can't go in there," he replied, his tone unyielding.
"But I have to!" Her hands trembled as she reached out, her words sharp with pain. "You promised I couId see them. They killed my sisters. I need to make them pay, to make them suffer."
Alexander's jaw tightened. He understood the torment in her eyes more than anyone else, but he couldn't allow this. Not like this.
"No,”"he said firmly,his voice final.
"Please," she begged, her tears falling freely now. Her words were raw,desperate. "I need to feel it, Alexander. I need to vent my anger."
He took her hands in his, pressing them gently to his lips. "I won't let your hands be stained," he whispered, his voice laced with both regret and determination. "You're not like them. You're not like us. Your grandfather will handle this-he will take care of it for you. You'll watch. And you'll make the final decision." Lilly shook her head, her heart in turmoil.′′Iwant to be there! I want to make them feel every ounce of the pain they caused." But Alexander's resolve never wavered. He held her close, determined to shield her from what lay beyond that door. She wasn't ready, and neither
was he willing to let her be.
Inside the room, the tension was palpable. Bella and Kate's faces drained of color as they saw who had entered.
“Grandfather..." Kate's voice faltered, and in an instant, her defiance was met with the sting of a brutal slap that sent her chair crashing backward.
“How dare you call me that, you traitor?" Bella's voice was cold, but fear flashed in her eyes. She knew her life was slipping away. There was no saving them now. Her blood would be spilled tonight.
Bella remained silent, the weight of her crimes hanging over her like a death sentence. She had killed his granddaughters. There would be no mercy for her.
“Take them away!" her grandfather commanded with chilling authority.His men moved swiftly, securing ropes around their necks and hoisting them to the ceiling. The air was thick with tension, and Lilly could feel the anger bubbling inside her, even from the other room.
She stared at the monitor, her eyes glued to the screen. Her breath caught as she watched them suffocate, only to be pulled down and tortured further. A hot knife seared their skin, and their screams echoed in the silence. Her grandfather's methodical cruelty matched the vengeance she had longed for. But it wasn't enough. Not yet. She'd demanded they suffer longer. She didn't want them to die quickly. They needed to know what it felt like to lose everything. For over an hour, Lilly watched her family's torment. Her grandfather,unyielding, never relented. He carved marks into their flesh, left scars that would never fade, each stroke a reminder of their treachery. Bella, the monster in disguise, had also killed his real daughter-in-law.Her punishment was even harsher.
Lilly's mind reeled with the new discovery-that Bella had also been responsible for her mother's death. A bitter fury coiled deep within her.But Alexander stood by her side, watching her, sensing the storm within her.
When the ordeal became too much to bear, Alexander stepped in,blocking the monitor with his body.
"Why are you blocking the screen?”Lilly demanded, her voice raw with frustration. "I haven't had enough yet."
"It's been over an hour already," he replied, his tone soft but resolute."That's enough."
"You're denying me my justice," she hissed, the anger in her eyes burning brighter than before. "I'm not done."
“Lilly, you don't need to witness any more of this. It's too much for you to bear." His hand gently combed through her hair, his touch tender,almost protective.
"I can handle it!" she snapped, her voice trembling. "I still want to see them suffer. I want to look them in the eye and make them understand what they've done to me, to my family." “You will. After they're locked away for good. After they've been sentenced to life," he promised her, his voice filled with determination. But even as he spoke, he could see the anguish in her eyes. Lilly wasn't just looking for revenge-she was searching for something deeper, something only she could understand.
Back in the chamber of punishment, the minutes dragged on, each second stretching as her grandfather's men worked methodically, coldly. Bella and Kate cried for mercy, pleading for an end, but their cries were ignored.No amount of begging would save them. Their fates were sealed.
Eventually, they collapsed, their bodies limp. Each time they fell unconscious, they were revived with ice-cold water, only to be subjected to more torture. Her grandfather didn't want them to die too quickly. His plan had always been for them to suffer and then rot away in prison.
The sounds of their torment finally ceased when her grandfather, satisfied with the punishment, left the room to cleanse his hands of the blood.
One of his men approached him, indicating three other men tied to chairs,gagged and trembling from what they'd witnessed.
“What should we do with them?" the guard asked.
"Dispose of them," her grandfather ordered coldly, not sparing them another glance.
The last thing he wanted was for Lilly to witness their deaths. Alexander had already ensured she would only see the aftermath of the punishment,a decision he knew she would later thank him for.
As her grandfather returned to the room where Lilly and Alexander waited.his heart clenched. Lilly was crying in Alexander's arms, the weight of it all crashing down on her.
In that moment, he realized the truth of it all-his daughter-in-law and granddaughters had been lost because of his failure to protect them. The betrayal that ran through their bloodlines had cost him everything,and now his own family was fractured beyond repair.
He swore to himself, he would never let this happen again.
Back at home. Peter walked in to an oppressive silence. Victor, his ever-faithful aide, greeted him quietly. But there was an edge to the air,a tension that made Peter's skin crawl.
"Where is everyone?”he asked,eyes scanning the room.
Victor hesitated, as though weighing his words carefully."Lilly was here earlier,"he said, his voice barely a whisper.
Peter's heart sank. "Lilly? But... she was supposed to be in the hospital."His mind raced with worry.
Victor nodded. guiding Peter to the second-floor living room, where a shocking sight awaited. Peter's eyes widened as the TV flickered to life,revealing Bella and Kate, their heads shaved, their bodies marked with burns and scars.
"What... is going on?" Peter's voice cracked with disbelief. "Why are they being taken to prison?"
Victor remained silent, allowing the reporter to continue. The words sent Peter into a spiral of shock. The evidence laid bare before him,and the truth of theircrimes came crashing down like a storm. His body went cold as the report revealed the murders of his daughters,his wife-and the dark role Bella and Kate had played in his family's destruction. Peter stood motionless, his world shattering around him as the reality of the monstrous people he'd shared his life with became undeniable.
How could he have been so blind?