CHAPTER 3 – Everything Falls Apart
"You invaded my privacy!" Serena shouted.
Damian stared at her.
"No."
"You documented felony abuse."
She lunged for the phone.
Damian stepped aside.
Security guards entered through the front gate.
He had already called them.
"Escort Miss Lawson off the property."
Serena pointed at Evelyn.
"She's lying!"
Damian pressed play.
The garden filled with Serena's own voice.
"You're a decrepit relic. He'll never believe you."
Another clip followed.
"Cry harder. It'll make this even funnier."
Then another.
"Once we're married, I'll put you in a nursing home where nobody visits."
Every word came from Serena herself.
Her knees nearly buckled.
"This isn't what it looks like."
"It looks exactly like what it is," Damian replied.
Minutes later, two police cruisers entered the driveway.
An officer carefully photographed Evelyn's injuries.
Another copied every video from Serena's phone.
Serena tried one final performance.
She burst into tears.
"I love him!"
"I was stressed!"
"I didn't mean it!"
The officers remained expressionless.
One pair of handcuffs clicked shut around her wrists.
Neighbors watched from beyond the gates.
Employees silently lined the entrance.
Serena lowered her head as cameras from arriving news crews captured everything.
The woman who dreamed of marrying into the Kingsley fortune walked away in handcuffs instead.
As the police car disappeared...
Damian noticed Evelyn staring at the empty driveway.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again.
She smiled weakly.
"I never wanted you to choose between us."
"I know."
"But now..."
May you like
He looked toward the mansion.
"...I'm choosing what's right."
