Page 48 of Tank

Veronica's face goes white, realizing she's said too much. She tries to push past me, but I block her path.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me everything. Every sordid detail of how you sold out your own stepdaughter."

She looks around wildly, searching for an escape. But there is none. The Reapers have formed a tight circle around us, their faces grim and unyielding.

I grab her arm, my grip just shy of bruising. "Start talking, Veronica. Or I swear to God, you'll wish you never set foot in this clubhouse."

She trembles beneath my touch, fear and loathing battling for dominance in her eyes. I can practically hear the gears turning in her head, trying to spin a web of lies.

But it's too late for that. The truth is out, and there's no putting it back in the box.

Sophie's soft gasp breaks the charged silence. I turn to see her standing there, eyes wide and filled with betrayal.

And I know, without a doubt, that nothing will ever be the same again.

9 - 10

My heart shatters as I watch Sophie process the cruel revelation. Her face crumples, tears spilling down her cheeks. Iwant to go to her, to wrap her in my arms and shield her from this pain, but I know she needs to confront this demons.

She takes a shaky step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "How could you? How could you do this to me?"

Veronica sneers, her true colors on full display. "You were always a burden, Sophie. A reminder of your father's weakness. I saw an opportunity to get rid of you and I took it."

Sophie flinches as if she's been slapped. Her father reaches for her, but she pulls away, her eyes never leaving Veronica's face.

"I was just a child. I needed love, protection. And you... you fed me to the wolves."

Her words are raw, bleeding with the pain of a thousand wounds. Each one a scar on her soul, inflicted by the woman who should have been her sanctuary.

Veronica just shrugs, utterly remorseless. "It's a tough world out there, sweetie. I had to look out for myself and my girls."

Rage boils in my veins, white-hot and all-consuming. I want to tear this vicious bitch apart with my bare hands.

But Sophie's father beats me to it.

He lunges at Veronica, his face twisted with anguish and fury. "You evil, soulless cunt! That's my daughter! My little girl!"

The Reapers step in, pulling him back before he can lay a hand on her. But the damage is done. Veronica's mask of indifference shatters, revealing the ugliness beneath.

Sophie turns to her father, her voice shaking but clear.

"I survived, Dad. I survived in spite of her. In spite of everything."

She looks at me then, her eyes shining with a fierce, unbreakable strength. "I found my way back. I found my family. My real family."

The Reapers stand taller at her words, their chests swelling with pride. She's one of us now, forged in fire and blood.

Her father crumbles, folding in on himself like a house of cards. "I'm so sorry, baby girl. I failed you. I should have seen it."

Sophie softens, understanding settling over her features. "You didn't fail me, Dad. She did."

She turns back to Veronica, resolve hardening her gaze. "And now she's going to pay for it. They're all going to pay."

A shiver runs down my spine at the promise in her words. My fierce, brave little warrior.

Together, we'll burn the whole fucking world down. And from the ashes, we'll build something new.

Something unbreakable.

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