Chapter 174
“I want to understand something p>
Peter suddenly said, interrupting me, the only person in the room that wasn’t releasing sparse tears from his eyes.
I wasn’t sure when Diana had started crying, but I had heard her sniff when I had started talking about the ruthless beating that Adam and his brothers had delivered to me.
Laura’s case was different. She was right in front of me. The bullying incident at the cafeteria had upsetted her tear glands.
“The Adam that committed all these atrocities… is it the same Adam that had come here to see you p>
I nodded slowly, shutting my eyes the next second out of stimuli, when Peter suddenly flung the glass cup that I had used to down the pill earlier, away from the table with his right hand. The cup smashed on the floor and broke into pieces. No one moved to get a broom to tidy the mess up.
“How could you still face him? How could you meet him alone? Do you still like him p>
Peter gritted this questions through his teeth, uncertainity ringing in his tone. He didn’t want to believe I was dumb.
I shook my head, hating that I disappointed him. “I hate him p>
“Then, why did you meet him?” Diana asked, softly, as if afraid that her question will trigger something.
With every turn in my tale, her hostility had kept reducing until it was barely there. And I haven’t talked about the recording yet.
“I was curious. He was acting like he hadn’t known of any beating, as if he hadn’t done anything, as if he did no wrong to Maya. His eyes had been so sincere that I had become confused. He had told me of his love for Maya, not knowing that I was she.
He had expressed his deepest feelings, especially when she had disappointed suddenly from the pack p>
Peter cursed again, waving his hand here and there, putting a stop to my charade which I knew was only grating on his nerves.
“I don’t want you to see him again. I don’t want to see him here again, or else, I will kill him myself. Do you understand?” Get full chapters from.net
I nodded my head.
Why would I want to see Adam again?
I ignoring the thrumming that started in my chest at that moment. Not of pain, but of something else. I didn’t bother to decipher it.
There was a beat of silence, which spurred me to continue my story. I told them of the pack party and how it had went from my own end. When I mentioned Adam meeting me outside the party hall, Peter cussed again.
Laura remained silent, dabbing her cheeks at intervals.
Then I talked about the two brothers that had joined us, and Diana saving me from their grasp.
Peter had glanced at Diana then, for the first time during our discussion, with something akin with pride.
Diana basked in it, if the barely there smile on her lips was any indication.
Light at the end of the dark tunnel. She must be thinking.
Then I spoke about what had happened when I and Diana had gone for a stroll. I talked about the incidence at the eatery and how Raul had deferred to our side, when Adam had tried to pull ranks.
Peter nodded in support, but Laura huffed. It would take a while to accept Raul, especially with the way he had remained aloof whilst his sister had bullied their subodinates.
I talked about Adam following us home, and then us ditching him when he talked about the cave.
“The pervert Peter muttered, when I stopped talking.
“I think that is all of my memories. The others are what have been happening in this community, of which you all know of p>
I surmised, tucking my hand inside my thighs.
Silence enveloped the room as my family processed what I had just told them. Each of them seemed lost in their own thoughts, grappling with the gravity of my revelation. I could see the turmoil in their eyes, the way their expressions shifted from disbelief to concern to a quiet, simmering anger.
Laura’s hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her knuckles white. I knew she was replaying all the times I had been bullied.
Peter stared at the floor, his jaw set in a hard line, the muscles in his neck tense. His protection made me happy, me feel like a daughter to him. I wasn’t sure how he was dealing with the harsh reality I had just exposed.
Diana still sat beside me, her silence louder than words. I could feel her frustration and her helplessness. I didn’t know exactly what was going on in her head, but I knew that the Queen’s subtle evilness was among it. I wondered how she would cope with the betrayal when I finally played the recording.
The silence in the room was finally broken by Peter. His voice was filled with a mix of desperation and determination. “What can we do to stop Diana from going to the palace? How can we protect her from the Queen’s influence p>
I glanced at him, feeling the weight of his concern. Diana was more than just a sister to me or a daughter to them; she was our heart, our anchor. We couldn’t let her be manipulated by the Queen.
“There might be a way,” I said slowly, the idea of another reveal forming in my mind. “I have a recording that might implicate the Queen. It’s not pretty at all. It shows her true nature, her manipulation. I’m sure the Queen would cave in to any of your request, when she hears the recording p>
Peter’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. “How did you get such a thing p>
Even with the hope shining in his eyes, he was still cautious, still looking out for me.
“Before I had gotten into the duel with Chyra, I had recorded them speaking about the Queen. It had started with their discussion about Zande, and Duke’s fake love. I had just thought to record it for future purposes. However, they had started moved from that to the Queen’s role in Zande’s death and her plan for Diana p>
Tense silence descended in the room again.
“Go and get it.” Laura spoke, breaking it this time around, steel coating her voice.
Would this work?
I wondered as I reached into my bag and felt the cold, hard surface of my phone. My fingers trembled slightly as I pulled it out. This device held the key to Diana’s freedom, but it also carried the weight of the Queen’s future hate. Would I survive this unscathed?
I could feel the tension hanging in the air when I returned to the sitting room. My family’s eyes were on me, filled with a mix of curiosity, anger and then hope.
I placed my phone on the table, the silence in the room becoming almost palpable.
“This,” I said, my voice steady despite my nerves, “is the proof we need. It’s time for us all to face the truth p>
The room remained silent, the gravity of the moment sinking in.