Tangled Shadows [COMPLETE]

chapter 14.

Author's pov-

"If it's not me,.my business and my family... Why are you doing this to my mother?" Eliana asked

"Great question, there are many people who are working against you under your nose, my fight is with Kian only... But have you ever think about your father?... I didn't even touch your mother and your sister i swear" Magnus said and a flash of reality hit her brain, "where is sissy?"

"I don't know, see yourself" he said and showed her the screen of his phone, revealing a scene that made Eliana’s heart stop. Her younger sister, her sweet, innocent Sissy, was cowering in the corner, her face streaked with tears, her clothes disheveled, struggling against the grip of an older man. Eliana’s world shattered in an instant.

"No... no, no, no," Eliana whispered, stepping forward, her voice barely more than a breath. But Magnus’s hand clamped down on her arm, holding her back.

“You should see this,” Magnus said coldly, his voice devoid of any sympathy. “You deserve to know the truth, Eliana... there are more brutal monsters than me.”

Eliana’s eyes darted between Magnus and the horrid scene unfolding before her, her mind reeling. “What do you mean, the truth?” she spat, her voice trembling with rage and fear.

Magnus’s smile was bitter, twisted with satisfaction. “Your father... he sold her, Eliana. Just like he tried to sell you.”

The words struck her like a physical blow. She staggered back, her knees buckling. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be real. But the evidence was right in front of her, in the way Sissy sobbed, pleading for the man to stop, to let her go. Eliana’s body trembled with the urge to scream, to fight, to tear apart the man who was hurting her sister.

Just then, a shadow filled the living room. Jonathan stepped into the room, his expression unreadable, his presence commanding attention. Eliana’s blood ran cold.

“Ah, Eliana,” Jonathan said smoothly, ignoring Sissy’s desperate cries as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience. “I see Magnus has filled you in.”

Eliana’s lips parted, but no words came. She looked at the man who she always hated but never thought of him like this, now seeing him for what he truly was. A monster. “You... you did this?” Her voice broke.

Jonathan’s eyes narrowed, his calm demeanor turning venomous. “Your mother not biological, was always too soft. But I knew how to handle things. She thought her money could protect you, could keep you and your sister safe from the reality of this world. But she was wrong.”

Eliana shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “She saved us,” she choked out. “She protected us from you.” she looked at her mother who was already fainted.

Jonathan’s face twisted into a mocking sneer. “Protected you? She was a fool, willing to sacrifice everything for the two of you. Even her life.”

The words seemed to echo in the silence of the room, and Eliana felt as if the air had been knocked out of her. She stared at her father, realization dawning like a cruel sunrise.

And that's when Jonathan shot Agusta, infront of Eliana, who got scared by the sudden shoot.  Eliana’s mind spun, memories of her mother’s warmth, her unwavering love, and her gentle smile flashing before her. Her knees gave way, and she sank to the floor, clutching her chest as if to hold back the pain that threatened to consume her whole. Jonathan only watched, unfeeling.

In her haze of grief and horror, Eliana felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Augusta, or perhaps the memory of her, standing beside her, her presence comforting, even in this nightmare.

“Mom... I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you. I-” Eliana’s voice cracked, breaking into sobs.

Augusta knelt beside her, her hand brushing away Eliana’s tears, her smile gentle, though there was sadness in her eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for, my love,” she whispered, her voice carrying a warmth that wrapped around Eliana’s shattered heart. “I did what I could... for you and Sissy. I knew you’d grow strong, stronger than you think.”

Eliana closed her eyes, letting her mother’s voice wash over her, clinging to this last moment. “Thank you, Mom... for everything. For loving me, for protecting us. I never told you how much I—” Her words broke as she choked on her sobs. “How much I love you.”

Augusta’s smile widened, though her form seemed to shimmer, fading like mist under the morning sun. “I always knew, Eliana. You never had to say it.”

Eliana reached out, trying to hold onto her mother for a moment longer, but her hand closed around empty air. Darkness crept into the edges of her vision, her body giving out under the weight of the pain and revelations as she see the corpse of her mother infront of her eyes.

Eliana collapsed to the floor, unconscious, the memory of her mother’s touch still lingering on her skin, even as the cold reality of her father’s betrayal settled like a shadow over her heart.