Perversion

39

People gathered, all in black, their faces masked with sadness. It was an unusual event, but even the dead deserved a proper send-off. She had been denied that previously.

Rue looked over at the twins and wondered if they knew what was going on and if they did, did they understand any of it. Veronica held the girl's hands.

"It is funny how things can change in a short period," Zoey whispered as they took a step back, allowing mourners to pass.

"Have you given consideration to my suggestion?"

"I come with you?" Zoey asked. Rue was about to leave for university and she wanted her sister and niece to come along.

"The kings still don't want to come to an agreement," Zoey reminded her.

"Tony and I are working on that,"

Xana stood alone, her mind heavy with thoughts. On her, she had an ankle monitor. After the police had found Mr. Fox, it took them another thirty minutes to find her. She ran after him to convince him to surrender.

When Mr. Fox was brought in, that is where he started revealing his secrets and lies. He confessed to killing his second wife after she discovered his hobby of defiling and recording girls. It was hard for Rue to hear that. Her father helped Mr. Fox bury the body in their backyard.

And the unexpected confession was that he was the one that killed Rue's father. As a doctor, it wasn't hard for him to make his death look like a heart attack. His reasons were that he was being blackmailed.

Mr. Fox's trial was set to begin in a few weeks, and he would remain behind bars until then.

Finally, Veronica was able to bury her sister properly, and the twins too could say goodbye to their mother.

Rue, along with Zoey, walked past Xana. She was glad that she was still safe, but she knew that their friendship would never go back to where it was. They stared at each other, and without a word, Rue walked away.

The ceremony had ended, and the mourners slowly dispersed, their faces still etched with sadness. Rue and Zoey stood to the side, watching as people paid their final respects and left. The weight of the past weeks hung heavily over them, but there was also a sense of relief that this chapter was finally closing.

Tony walked over to Rue, his expression serious but with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey," Rue replied, grateful for his presence.

"I just found something that might help us with the Kings," Tony said, glancing around to ensure no one was listening. "Turns out, they're involved in a hit and run. Covered it up pretty well, but I got proof."

Rue's eyes widened. "That's huge. They'd never want that to go public."

"Exactly," Tony nodded. "We can use this to get Zoey's child back. They'll have no choice but to agree."

A flicker of hope ignited in Rue's heart. "Thank you, Tony. This could change everything."

He smiled, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "You owe me a date, remember?"

Rue laughed softly, the first genuine laugh in what felt like forever. "I haven't forgotten. I'm looking forward to it."

As they stood together, the weight of the past lifted just a bit. Rue looked forward to new beginnings. She was ready to leave this town behind, never to return.