Chapter 7 - Out of the Ashes
"Don't move! Police!"
Within seconds, Isabella was pinned to the wet concrete floor, her wrists pulled behind her back and secured with heavy steel handcuffs. She screamed and cursed, her elegant ivory gown now ruined, stained with black soot and dirty water.
Marcus was brought down shortly after, already in handcuffs, having been captured by police as he tried to flee the estate in William’s sports car.
William cradled Ethan in his arms, rocking him back and forth. "Ethan, please, wake up. Daddy’s here. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry."
The paramedics rushed into the cell, gently taking Ethan from William’s arms. "He’s alive, sir, but he’s heavily sedated," the lead paramedic said, checked the boy’s pulse and pupils. "We need to get him to the hospital immediately to flush his system."
"I’m coming with you," William said, his voice shaking. He turned his eyes to Emma, who was sitting on the floor, bruised, exhausted, and soaking wet.
William walked over to her. He knelt down, taking her hands in his. "Emma... you saved my son. I treated you like a criminal, and you still risked your life to save him. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
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"Just take care of him, Mr. Sterling," Emma whispered, her voice cracking. "He’s a strong boy. He just needs his father."
As the emergency crews cleared the basement, the mansion above was saved from major fire damage, though the water damage was extensive. But to William, the physical house meant nothing anymore. The illusion of his perfect new life had burned away, leaving behind the painful, beautiful truth: his family was all that mattered.
