Chapter 347

The air hung heavy with tension, thick with unspoken accusations and simmering anger. I refused to budge, my eyes locked with Mia's in a silent battle of wills as Timothy attempted to give Kamran CPR.

"There's nothing to tell, Evie," Mia insisted, her voice tight with frustration. "Knowing more than necessary will only hurt you."

I scoffed, my patience wearing thin as Mia continued to dodge the truth. "I know you were there that night, Mia," I said, my voice laced with accusation. "And I know you likely killed Stella too."

Mia's eyes widened in shock, her composure slipping for a moment before she regained her mask of indifference. "You have no proof, Evie," she countered, her voice tinged with desperation. "You're just grasping at straws."

But I refused to back down, my resolve stronger than ever as I faced down the woman who had deceived me for so long. "I saw the fake IDs, Mia," I said, my voice steady despite the anger coursing through me. "The ones you used to marry billionaires who died mysteriously."

Mia's facade crumbled in an instant, her mask of indifference giving way to a flicker of fear and uncertainty. "I... I might've gotten desperate over the years," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I needed to make a living somehow."

Timothy's voice broke through the tension like a thunderclap, his words a desperate plea for action. "Evie, call an ambulance," he shouted, his voice tinged with panic.

But I held up a hand, my eyes never leaving Mia's as I reached for my phone. "Wait," I said, my voice calm but firm. "I already called the police."

Mia's eyes widened in horror, her cocky demeanor crumbling in the face of my revelation. "You... you called the police?" she stammered, her voice trembling with fear.

I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the realization dawn in Mia's eyes. "I couldn't let you get away with it, Mia," I said, my voice tinged with sadness. "Not again."

Mia's bravado faltered, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she sank onto the bed with a weary sigh. "I got sloppy with you involved," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I wanted us to be a family again, Evie. I wanted us to have everything we ever dreamed of."

But her words fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the weight of her betrayal. "You're delusional, Mia," I spat, my voice laced with anger and disappointment. "You only ever cared about yourself, about your own selfish desires."

Mia's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a scornful smirk. "Selfish?" she scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "You have no idea what I've sacrificed for you, Evie. I've given up everything to give us a better life."

I shook my head in disbelief, unable to comprehend the sheer audacity of her words. "You've done nothing but use people, Mia," I shot back, my voice laced with bitterness. "You've used me, you've used Timothy, you've used anyone who could get you what you wanted."

Mia's expression hardened, her gaze locking with mine in a silent challenge. "It wasn't my fault if I had to use others to get my big break," she insisted, her voice tinged with defiance. "Staying in that hellhole with you and your drunken father would've kept us stuck forever. I had to do whatever it took to break free."

I felt a surge of anger rise within me, a fierce determination to break free from the chains of her manipulation. "You have no problem destroying anyone who gets in your way, do you?" I spat, my voice trembling with emotion.

Mia's smirk widened, a cruel glint in her eyes as she nodded in agreement. "None whatsoever," she admitted, her voice cold and detached. "I've worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let anyone stand in my way. And if that makes me selfish, then so be it."

I shook my head in disbelief, unable to comprehend the depths of her depravity. "You're a monster," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper.

But Mia's laughter rang out through the room, echoing off the walls like a haunting melody. "Maybe I am, Evie," she said, her voice tinged with amusement. "But at least I'm not the one standing in my own way."

I could feel the anger boiling within me, threatening to consume me whole as I struggled to make sense of the chaos unfolding before my eyes.

“Was Stella in YOUR way?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion. "Why did Stella have to die?"

Mia's gaze hardened, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination. "Stella would have taken everything away from us, Evie," she insisted, her voice tinged with venom. "She would have seduced Timothy once more and left us with nothing."

I recoiled in horror, my mind reeling at the sheer audacity of her words. "You're crazy, Mia," I spat, my voice laced with disgust. "You're absolutely insane."

But Mia refused to back down, her resolve unwavering in the face of my anger. "I'm a survivor, Evie," she said, her voice cold and detached. "I think on my feet, I adapt to my circumstances. And if that means getting rid of anyone who stands in our way, then so be it."

I felt a surge of bile rise in my throat as Mia recounted the details of her plan, each word a dagger in the heart of my innocence. She spoke of framing Timothy and Andy, of ridding ourselves of Stella like she was nothing more than a nuisance to be discarded.

"This was never the way," Timothy spat, his voice filled with venom. "You’re a cold-blooded killer."

Mia's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes alight with a cruel satisfaction. "I would've killed you a long time ago if it weren't for Evie," she admitted to Timothy, her voice dripping with malice. "But I wanted to give you both the life you deserved, without all the fuss."

“Oh, really? With me behind bars and Evie under your thumb?” Timothy hissed.

I felt a surge of anger rise within me, a fierce determination to break free from the chains that bound me to this woman who had deceived me for so long. "It's time for me to make my own life now," I said, my voice steady despite the fear coursing through me. "And I don't want you to be a part of it, Mia."

Mia's expression darkened, her eyes flashing with malice. "And what do you want, Evie?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. "To cast me aside like yesterday's garbage? To forget all that I've done for you?"

I took a step forward, my anger boiling over. "All you've done is ruin my life," I spat, my voice ringing with bitterness. "You've taken away my freedom, my happiness, everything that I've ever wanted. And for what? So you can buy some expensive clothes?"

Mia's lip curled into a cruel smile, her eyes glinting with malice. "Selfish desires?" she echoed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I've given up my own happiness, my own dreams, just to give you the life you deserve. A child never sees the sacrifices of her mother."

I felt a surge of anger coursing through me, my fists trembling with the effort to contain it. "The life I deserve?" I repeated, my voice trembling with disbelief. "You call this a life? Living in constant fear, constantly walking on eggshells, never knowing if today will be the day you snap and lash out at me again?"

Mia's expression hardened, her eyes flashing with fury. "You’re so sensitive," she spat, her voice laced with venom. “Are you talking about that one time I told you off?”

I shook my head, my heart pounding in my chest as I stepped toward her. "No…I never asked for any of this," I said, my voice shaking with emotion. "I never wanted you to sacrifice everything for me. All I ever wanted was to be free."

Mia's eyes narrowed into slits, her lips twisting into a cruel sneer. "You ungrateful little brat," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "After everything I've done for you, you have the audacity to stand there and defy me?"

Before I could take another step, Mia lunged at me with a desperate cry, her hands reaching for the gun clutched tightly in my grasp.