When Giselle's fury finally burned itself out and her hands went numb, Gideon stepped forward. He gently pulled her up, speaking quietly. "That's enough. Let's go. The truth is out now. We should leave, calm down, and think clearly."
Giselle's strength was spent. Her spirit had been pushed past its breaking point. Limp and dazed, she leaned against Gideon as he guided her toward the door.
Renee, meanwhile, was a wreck. Her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood, her nose gushing, her face swollen and raw from the barrage of blows. Dizzy and trembling, she finally managed to sit up with the household staff's help.
"Call… call the police," she gasped between sobs, her voice trembling with rage. "Do it now! Don't let that bitch get away with this. She's a murderer, a demon—she has to pay!"
The household staff moved for his phone, but Tony snapped, his face dark. "Call the police? You want to drag this into the open? Haven't you caused enough chaos already? Do you want this family torn apart completely?"
"Dad!" Anne, pale and moaning on the bed, tried to protest. "She used a knife. She tried to kill me. That's attempted murder—"
"Shut the fuck up!" Tony roared at her, his anger boiling over.
"You still dare to speak? You brought this on yourself! Why kill the dog? What did it ever do to you? You knew exactly how volatile she was, and still you stooped to such vile stupidity. You deserve what you got! And you still have the gall to talk about the police? Do you want me to die of shame?"
"You're feeling ashamed now?" Renee shot back, wincing as pain shot across her battered face.
"I told you years ago—we should've cut ties with that bitch the moment she was born. We should've sent her away and never looked back. Our lives would have been peaceful!
"But you've always been weak, always indecisive! You think she'd ever forgive you for betraying her mother? No matter how much you try to make amends, she'll never be grateful. She'll just keep spitting in your face!"
Tony's eyes flickered, the words hitting a nerve. He said nothing more, tossed aside the disinfectant he'd been using, and stormed out of the family medical room.
If he'd known that one affair more than 20 years ago would bring this much trouble, he would've been better off keeping his damn pants zipped.
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