Chapter 10 - The Final Checkmate
The taller FBI agent held up his badge and looked directly at Arthur.
"Arthur Vance, you are under arrest for the murder of Rose Vance and the attempted murder of your daughters," the agent announced.
"The 911 dispatcher recorded every word you and Elena said in that office."
"Even though the phone broke, the audio was already saved on the emergency servers."
Arthur tried to run toward the back exit, but two police officers tackled him to the floor immediately.
He screamed and thrashed, cursing my name as they dragged him away in handcuffs.
Elena was arrested at the laboratory an hour later, surrounded by her own toxic evidence.
The police removed my handcuffs and offered a profound apology.
Dr. Evans treated my shoulder wound, assuring me that I was going to be perfectly fine.
Three weeks later, the courtroom sentenced both Arthur and Elena to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The judge officially granted me full custody of Lucy, Rachel, and April.
We moved back into my quiet, warm house, leaving the nightmare of their father behind forever.
The girls finally felt safe, their laughter filling the hallways of our home once again.
April fully recovered from the poison, her cheeks rosy and her energy boundless.
We had finally found our happy ending, surrounded by love and peace.
One rainy afternoon, I was cleaning out the attic and found an old wooden jewelry box that belonged to Rose.
I accidentally dropped it, and a hidden compartment popped open at the bottom.
Inside was a faded photograph of Rose as a teenager, smiling with her arms wrapped around another girl.
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I flipped the photo over, and the breath caught in my throat.
The writing on the back read, "Me and my secret half-sister, Elena."
