Shadows Of Deceipt

Chapter 20

Tom had been waiting in the shadows, watching from the corner of the dimly lit café. Anna was seated by the window, staring out at the rainy street, unaware that he was there. She looked different now—her posture stiff, her expression hard. But Tom knew better. He knew the guilt was eating her alive. He stepped forward, his footsteps echoing off the walls, and Anna turned at the sound. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw him, the man she thought she’d never see again. For a moment, neither of them said a word, the tension hanging thick in the air between them. Tom’s face was a mask of cold fury, but beneath it, his heart was in turmoil. Seeing Anna again stirred emotions he had tried to bury, but the betrayal was too fresh, too raw.

"You played me," Tom said, his voice low, dangerous. "You and your father—both of you—played me for a fool."

Anna’s eyes flickered with a mix of guilt and defiance. She stood up slowly, bracing herself for the confrontation she knew was coming.

"I didn’t want to hurt you, Tom," she said quietly, "but you left me no choice."

Tom stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides. "No choice? You call that betrayal ‘no choice’? I trusted you, Anna. I let you in, and this is how you repay me?"

"I had to," Anna replied, her voice firmer now. "You’re a criminal, Tom. My father was right all along, and deep down, I knew it too. I couldn’t just stand by and let you keep destroying lives for your own gain."

Tom’s jaw tightened as he looked at her, struggling to keep his emotions in check. "You found out what I was. And yet, you stayed. You fell in love with me."

Anna swallowed hard, her gaze faltering for a moment. "I... I cared about you," she admitted. "I won’t lie about that. But I couldn’t ignore what you were doing. The things I found out—"

"You think I don’t regret it?" Tom interrupted, his voice breaking slightly. "You think I don’t wish things could’ve been different? But this... this is who I am. It’s the life I’ve built, for better or worse."

Anna’s eyes softened for just a moment, but she quickly steeled herself. "And that’s the problem, Tom. You chose this life. You chose power, money, control... and it’s tearing everything apart. My father taught me to stand up for what’s right, and I couldn’t betray that. Not for you. Not for anyone."

Tom took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside him. He stepped closer, his voice lowering. "I would’ve given it all up for you, Anna. Do you know that? I was ready to walk away from everything—my empire, my life—just to be with you. But now... I can’t. You took that away from me."

Anna blinked, her heart sinking at his words. She had never expected to hear that from him. She had always known Tom was capable of emotion, but she hadn’t realized how deep his feelings for her ran.

"Tom..." she began, but he shook his head, cutting her off.

"No," he said, his voice bitter. "It’s too late now. You and your father made sure of that."

For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of their choices pressing down on them. Anna wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that things could still be different. But she knew better. There was no going back now. The lines had been drawn, and she had chosen her side.

Tom’s expression hardened again, his guard going back up. "You think you’ve won, don’t you? That you and your father have taken me down for good."

Anna squared her shoulders. "It’s not about winning, Tom. It’s about doing what’s right."

He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Right. That’s what you keep telling yourself. But let me tell you something, Anna—you don’t know what’s coming. Richard’s raid may have crippled my empire, but it’s not dead yet. And when I come back, stronger than before... you and your father will regret everything you’ve done."