Chapter 9 - The Financial Ruin Exposed
“Ryan…” Brianna whimpered, taking a step back. “Ryan, please, she’s lying. It’s a setup.”
Without a word, Ryan turned the laptop screen toward his family.
The video began to play. The audio was crystal clear.
The speakers boomed with the sound of Brianna’s voice: “Just because you’re pregnant with his babies doesn’t mean you control this family.”
Then, the horrific sound of a fist connecting with flesh. The sound of my scream. The image of Brianna dragging me across the hardwood floor by my hair while I wept and begged for help. And finally, Patricia entering the frame, casually pouring olive oil onto the floor and saying: “By the time anyone finds her, it will be too late for those bastards she’s carrying.”
The silence in the hospital room after the video finished was deafening.
Patricia looked as if she had been turned to stone. Brianna sank into a chair, covering her face as she began to hyperventilate.
“Detective,” Ryan said, his voice trembling but completely resolute. “That is the footage from my home security system. I have already sent the original, unedited file to your precinct’s secure server. I want to press charges. Attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, and corporate fraud.”
The detective stepped forward, pulling two pairs of handcuffs from his belt. “Patricia Brooks, Brianna Brooks, you are under arrest for aggravated assault, attempted murder of an unborn child, and tampering with evidence.”
“You can't do this!” Patricia shrieked as the cold steel clicked around her wrists. “Do you know who I am? Ryan, call our lawyers! Tell them to stop this!”
Ryan turned his back on his mother. He walked over to my bed, climbing up onto the mattress to wrap his arms completely around me. He buried his face in my neck, sobbing uncontrollably.
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“I’m so sorry, Clara,” he wept. “I’m so sorry I wasn't there. I’m so sorry I let them into our lives.”
“It’s over, Ryan,” I whispered, holding him tightly, keeping my eyes fixed on Patricia and Brianna as they were dragged out of the ICU in handcuffs, their screams of protest echoing down the hallway until they were finally gone.
