AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
ETHAN
Vanessa had never looked so distraught. I knew she was going to blame me for the very outcome I had tried to prevent and almost got killed for.
"You idiots had better respond right now! Who stabbed him when I specifically instructed no one was totouch him?"Their eyes said they knew I was crazy and were scared of it, but they still said they had no idea.
Who could have done this?
Tristan couldn't have done it. Despite his rage, I was confident he would not disobey me. It could have been any of the men, but it would not have gone unpunished.
"Someone better find out who did this and get them to me quickly," I yelled, and they scrambled up the stairs.
I looked over at Vanessa, who was sitting next to her deaduncle.
"I am so sorry. I swear I didn't do it," I swore, hoping she’d believe me. "I would never have done something like this. I know how much this would have hurt you."
"What difference does it make? You'dstill kill him either way," she spoke in an unfamiliar tone.
I knew she hated me.
I remained with her until the doctor arrived. It took both of usto pry her away from her uncle's body.
She fought me tooth and nail as I carried her back up the stairs and into her bedroom on my shoulder.
"Put me down, Ethan," she yelled and yelled until her voice was barely audible.
She was quiet by the time we got to the bedroom. She said nothing to me as I lowered her onto the bed. Her eyes were bland, and her throat was dry from crying.
I wanted to help her and console her, but I didn't know how. I wasn't sure if she'd even let me touch her. But I stayed.
Her senses seemed to be disconnected from the world around her. I doubted she could see me even though I stood in front of her, and she didn't respond to my words either.
I walked around the bed and knelt beside her. I took her hand in mine, and she gave me the coldest stare I'd ever seen. Vanessa was nowhere to be found; her eyes were hollow and distant.
"Someone else did it, and I'll find out who. I swear. I'll track down the person who stabbed your uncle and hold them accountable." The words meant little or nothing to her. She was completely consumed by her own grief.
What am I saying? I thought, realizing my selfishness. It wasn't the time to try to defend myself. She was probably in pain and needed my solace.
"Would you like me to stay with you?" I asked, and her pupils focused on me for the first time in a long time. I had no idea what she expected from me. I just wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her.
"I want to be alone," Vanessa said coldly and slipped under the blanket.
She turned her back on me. I wasn't sure if she really wanted me gone or if it was just a side effect of her grieving process, so I stayed.
Silence flooded the room.I was alive, but it came at the expense of other people's lives. Fred Westbrook had been dead since the moment he had betrayed my family. I had tried to keep him alive for her, breaking a family tradition, only to have him stabbed.
I need to find out who killed him.
I dashed for the front door. Vanessa's comfort was critical, but I was unprepared at the time. She blamed me for her uncle's death, and I knew I deserved it. I had been negligent in allowing him to be murdered while I was present.
It was time for me to take action.
"My heart breaks for you, Vanessa. I am here for you, whenever you need me. You will not go through this alone," I said, expecting no answer as I walked out of the room.
Uncle Luke.
Luke and Dylan were waiting for me downstairs in the dining room, so I went to meet them. Though I knew neither of them had gone down into the basement to murder Fred, I had begun to suspect that only my uncle had the motive.
