Chapter 231

Iris

“Mother?” Arthur takes a step forward. “What are you doing here?”

Wendy stands in the hallway, flanked by two officers. Her face is pale, her makeup smudged from what looks like tears. She looks nothing like the composed, cold woman I’ve come to know. Far from it, in fact.

“I wanted to stop him,” she chokes out. “I was too late.”

Arthur’s jaw clenches. “You mean Leonard. Yes, you are too late. He’s not going to see the outside of a cell for a long, long time.”

Wendy nods miserably. “I know. And I have information you’ll want to hear.” She glances at the officers. “I’d like to make a full and comprehensive confession that will incriminate myself, my husband, and Silas Creed in a murder and kidnapping conspiracy.”

My breath catches at that. I look at Arthur, who nods reluctantly. The officers, intrigued, bring Wendy into our apartment. She stands awkwardly in our living room, looking small and old.

“After what you said to me the last time we spoke,” she begins, looking at Arthur, “I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About how I’ve spent my entire life doing exactly what Leonard told me to do. I was his puppet, never thinking about what my own son needed.”

Arthur’s expression doesn’t soften. “So what changed tonight? Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because I realized you were right. I let my own boy, my only child, suffer for years because of this man. And I helped.”

“You expect me to forgive you now that you’ve finally admitted that?”

“No,” Wendy admits, and her honesty takes me by surprise. “I just want you to know the truth, and I want all three of us to be punished to the full extent of the law.” She takes a deep breath and looks at the detective who helped us earlier, who is writing everything down while a device is recording every word.

“I was in on it from the beginning,” she starts. “Leonard felt he could no longer control you, that you’d grown too powerful. So he promised to make Silas the heir to the family fortune, to publicly recognize him as his biological son, if Silas helped to usurp you.”

Arthur’s face hardens.

“The Alpha Swap was just the beginning,” Wendy continues. “They wanted to first ensure that Silas secured his position as President without an election. But it was also meant to be a red herring—they wanted people to believe that you’d fled Ordan after the Swap, that you’d gone into hiding, which is to be expected. That way, no one would look too closely when you disappeared for good. But the real plan…” She swallows hard. “The real plan was to kill you both and take Miles into captivity.”

Arthur takes a step forward, his fists clenched. “Why not just let us run away?

Wendy clicks her tongue. “Arthur, you know you wouldn’t have run. Not really. You love Ordan too much to leave it in the hands of men like that. If you did run initially, you would have returned eventually.”

Arthur falls silent. Wendy is right.

“Leonard has known about Miles’ visions for months,” Wendy goes on. “He’s been planning to use Miles as a secret political weapon. To groom him, to harness his prophetic abilities for their own gain. No one would know that Miles wasn’t really with you.”

“And you went along with all of this?” I ask, completely disgusted. “You were willing to let your own son be killed? Your own grandson be used as a tool in an even worse way than Arthur was used by Leonard as a child?”

“Yes,” Wendy admits. “I was afraid of what Leonard might do if I refused to help. But I’m not going to let my fear keep me from protecting my son anymore.”

Then, she turns to the detective. “In my purse, which you confiscated, there’s a USB drive and several printed documents. They contain recordings of our conversations, detailed plans for the Alpha Swap and what would come after, financial records showing transfers between Leonard’s accounts and Silas’. Everything you need to prove what I’m saying is true.”

The detective nods and gestures to his colleague, who leaves to retrieve Wendy’s belongings.

“Why would you do this?” Arthur asks, clearly struggling to understand. “Why turn on Leonard now, after all these years?”

“Because you were right,” Wendy says simply. “I’ve been Leonard’s puppet for too long. I’ve let him control me, dictate my every move, my every thought. I’ve let him come between me and my son. And it stops now.”

There’s a conviction in her voice that makes me believe her, despite everything. This woman, who has always been cold and distant, who has never shown me anything but disdain, is finally standing up for what’s right. Even if it’s years too late, even if it means facing the consequences of her actions, she’s finally choosing to do the right thing.

But if Miles hadn’t had his dream, if we hadn’t acted so quickly…

It would be far too late even for her change of heart.

The officer returns with Wendy’s purse, from which he extracts a USB drive and a manila envelope stuffed with papers. He hands them to his superior, who examines them briefly before nodding.

“These will need to be processed as evidence,” the detective says. “And we’ll need a formal statement from you, Mrs.—”

“I know,” Wendy interrupts. “I’m prepared to tell you everything, down to the very last detail. About Leonard, about Silas, about the entire conspiracy. Whatever you need, I’ll provide it. I want all three of us behind bars for good.”

Arthur and I exchange glances, both of us struggling to process this unexpected turn of events. After all this time, after all the hurt and pain Leonard and Wendy have caused, it’s hard to believe that she’s suddenly turned on her husband. And yet, the evidence she’s provided seems genuine.

“We’ll need to take her in for questioning before we can make any definitive arrests against Silas,” the detective then says to Arthur. “And we’ll need your statements as well, but that can wait until morning if you prefer.”

Arthur nods, suddenly looking exhausted. The adrenaline of the night is wearing off, leaving behind an eternal weariness that I can see in the slump of his shoulders and the shadows under his eyes. I feel it, too, and suddenly wonder how much longer I can even stay upright. The sun is already beginning to rise.

“We’ll come to the station as soon as we can,” Arthur says.

The officers nod and begin to lead Wendy away. She pauses at the door, looking back at Arthur one last time.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “For everything. I know it doesn’t change anything, but I truly am sorry.”

Arthur doesn’t respond, just watches as the officers escort his mother out of our apartment. When the door closes behind them, he lets out a long, shaky breath. I move toward him, and he reaches out without looking away from the door. He pulls me against his chest.

But before either of us can speak, Ezra enters the apartment.

“I just got a call from the hospital,” he says. “It’s Augustine. The doctors say she isn’t going to make it.”