Chapter 5
I turned my head and looked straight at Edward's terrified face.
"Right before he flicked his cigarette, I heard him perfectly through the crack in the van window. He whispered something to himself." I paused and imitated his exact tone from that day, enunciating every single word. "'God, please let me strike it rich.'"
Those words detonated like a bomb inside Edward's head. His legs finally gave out, and he collapsed completely onto the floor.
"No. That is a lie. I never said that." His denial sounded entirely hollow. He could not even convince himself.
I had just dragged his darkest demons out into the broad daylight. He sold me to get rich. His motive was incredibly simple, absolutely brutal, and undeniably real.
Helen broke down completely. She stared at Edward on the floor, her eyes filled with absolute despair and disbelief.
The man who had shared her bed for over two decades and played the role of a grieving father for thirteen years was actually the monster who ruined both of their lives.
"Edward, is she telling the truth?" Helen asked with a violently trembling voice. "Tell me right now. Is it true?" She erupted into a hysterical scream.
Edward collapsed onto the floor and buried his head in his hands. He resembled a trapped animal and remained completely mute.
His absolute silence served as the most definitive confession.
Patrick signaled the two officers standing beside him. "Take him to the interrogation room."
The officers stepped forward and hoisted Edward up by his arms. He offered no resistance and hung between them.
He looked as if someone had drained every ounce of life out of his body.
The officers dragged him past me.
He suddenly lifted his head and locked his bloodshot eyes onto my face.
All his previous panic and pretense had completely vanished.
A toxic hatred replaced those emotions.
His glare silently screamed at me, demanding to know why I had come back and why I had not simply died out there in the world.
I met his gaze without a single shred of fear. I had survived thirteen years of pure hell. I would never be afraid of this man again.
The officers dragged Edward out of the room.
Helen slumped into a nearby chair. Her energy was completely depleted. She stared blankly at the wall and muttered to herself. "It's a lie. Everything's a lie."
Nobody in the room paid any attention to her.
She was a woman who had been deceived by her husband for thirteen years and had remained completely oblivious to her daughter's suffering.
She was a pathetic figure, but she did not deserve my sympathy.
Patrick walked over and looked at me with a conflicted expression.
"Lauren, I know this has been rough on you," he said. "We're going to interrogate Edward now. But I need to ask you one more question before we do."
I nodded.
He said, "You mentioned earlier that he wanted to get rich. Our records show the textile mill where your dad worked shut down right after you vanished, and he lost his job.
"He sold everything he owned to fund the search for you and lived flat broke. That directly contradicts his desire for wealth."
Patrick made a valid point.
I had wrestled with that exact question since my return.
If Edward sold me for a cash payout, the money had to go somewhere.
I could not understand why my family ended up entirely destitute.
I wondered if my own memories were flawed or if a deeper secret existed.
I frowned and scoured my memory for neglected details.
A sudden realization struck me.
"No," I said and looked up at Patrick. "My family actually had real money for a while."
Patrick looked surprised. "You guys had money? When was this?"
"It happened the year after he sold me," I stated with absolute certainty. "I wasn't living there anymore, but I still found out.
"The guy with the bad leg who brought my meals got wasted one night and let the truth slip.
"He told me my dad took the cash from selling me and didn't even bother looking for me. He used the money to set up his mistress in a brand new house instead."