Chapter 3
780 Words
The first sign of Adrian's retaliation arrived the following afternoon.
I was sitting in the garden, absentmindedly scratching behind the ears of one of my hunting dogs, when Lieutenant Carter came running toward me.
The moment I saw his face, I knew something was wrong. He looked pale... Terrified.
"Ms. Ashcroft," he said breathlessly. "Mr. Blackwell has already moved against us."
I slowly looked up from the dog resting at my feet. "What did he do?"
Carter swallowed hard. "He shut down two of our subsidiary companies."
I nodded once.
'That is irritating, but not unexpected,' I thought.
"What else?"
"He intercepted one of our cargo ships at the harbor."
'Still manageable,' I reflected. 'Adrian knows how to hit where it hurts. I can respect that.'
But Carter remained frozen in place. His lips trembled. His hands shook. The fear in his eyes immediately caught my attention.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
"What else?" I asked again. This time, my voice was dangerously quiet.
Carter lowered his head. "Miss Pearl's grave..."
My body stiffened.
For several seconds, he couldn't continue. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and forced the words out.
"Mr. Blackwell destroyed Miss Pearl's headstone."
Silence. Absolute silence. Even the birds seemed to stop singing.
I stared at him. My expression didn't change. My voice remained calm. Too calm.
"Say that again."
Carter immediately dropped to one knee.
"Mr. Blackwell ordered Pearl's grave exhumed," he said shakily. "He intends to clear the cemetery and build a children's park there."
My fingers tightened around the armrest, the wicker snapping under my grip.
"For whom?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
Carter hesitated, then whispered, "For his son."
The coffee table beside me flew across the room. Wood splintered against marble. The crash echoed throughout the estate. My hunting dog jumped to its feet and began growling.
Carter lowered his head even further. He knew exactly how dangerous I could become when Pearl was involved.
'For years, nobody has dared touch anything connected to my daughter,' I thought, my vision blurring with rage. 'Nobody. Yet Adrian crossed that line without hesitation.'
I slowly stood. My voice was cold enough to freeze blood. "Gather everyone."
Carter immediately rose to his feet. "Yes, ma'am."
I looked toward the horizon, toward the cemetery where my daughter rested. Or at least where she was supposed to rest.
"We're leaving."
By the time we arrived at Blackwood Memorial Cemetery, I was already too late.
The excavation had begun. Part of Pearl's coffin was visible beneath the disturbed earth.
The sight nearly stopped my heart.
Nearby, shattered fragments of stone lay scattered across the ground. The headstone Adrian had carved himself all those years ago had been reduced to rubble.
Nothing remained. Not a name. Not a date. Not even a fragment large enough to recognize.
For a moment, all I could hear was the sound of blood rushing through my ears.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the devastating sight.
Then I saw them. Adrian and Chloe.
She stood comfortably in his arms, gazing across the cemetery grounds with excitement, completely oblivious to the desecration beneath her feet.
Chloe smiled brightly. "As soon as we get our son back, we should install a carousel." She pointed directly toward Pearl's open burial plot.
"Put it right there," she continued, leaning her head on his shoulder. "That way, he can ride it whenever he wants."
My vision darkened.
Adrian wrapped an arm around her waist, a relaxed smile crossing his face. "That's a great idea," he said.
He kissed the top of her head, completely ignoring the freshly dug earth. "Once our son comes home, the three of us can come here together."
'The three of us,' I repeated internally, the words hitting harder than any bullet.
They stood there discussing their future. Laughing. Dreaming. Planning.
'As though Pearl never existed,' I thought, my heart fracturing completely. 'As though the little girl buried beneath their feet wasn't Adrian's daughter. As though she had never lived. Never laughed. Never mattered.'
Something inside me snapped. Without a word, I raised my hand.
The men behind me immediately understood.
Gunfire erupted across the cemetery.
The workers digging up Pearl's grave screamed in panic. Several dropped their tools and fled, while others threw themselves to the ground and begged for mercy. Chaos consumed the entire cemetery within seconds.
Chloe shrieked and buried herself against Adrian's chest.
Adrian's expression darkened instantly, his eyes scanning the tree line until they locked onto me.
"Seraphina!" His voice thundered across the cemetery. "Have you lost your mind?!"
I smiled.
Then, I slowly lifted my pistol and aimed it directly at them.
- Writer
